Soft Targets (2015-2018) is a series of sculptures made with hand-dyed fabric and installed in outdoor locations. The designs of the Soft Targets incorporate complex geometric patterns found in Islamic art of the 8th-15th centuries.The targets also reference changing conceptions of military targets and vulnerability in contemporary warfare.
Soft Target Installation II, 2017.Hand-dyed fabric, bamboo, twine; 13 ft. width x 6 feet height
The Soft Target installations were presented at Lacawac Sanctuary in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania in two different configurations. Each of the designs in the separate panels were inspired by Islamic geometric patterns found in both Christian and Muslim architectural sites.
Soft Target Installation I, 2017
Lacawac Santuary, Pennsylvania. Hand-dyed fabric, bamboo, twine; dimensions variable
Soft Target 9 (Jonah’s Tomb, Mosul, Iraq), 2017
Soft Target 8 (Jonah’s Tomb, Mosul, Iraq), 2017
Hand-dyed fabric, 41 in. x 41 in. each
Soft Target 9 and Soft Target 8 (on the left below) are inspired by a geometric pattern found in The Mosque of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul, which was built on the former site of an Assyrian Church, believed to be the burial place of Jonah.
Soft Target 6 (Cappella Palatina, Sicily, 1132 AD), 2017
Soft Target 7 (Cappella Palatina, Sicily, 1132 AD), 2017
Hand-dyed fabric, 41 in. x 41 in. each
In the two targets below, a pattern of concentric circles is overlaid with an unusual grid of eight-pointed stars from the royal chapel of the Norman Kings of Sicily, in Palermo. The Chapel’s ceiling combines Byzantine art and architecture with elements inspired by Arabic and Islamic design.
Soft Target 5 (Kharraqan, Iran, 1067 AD), 2016. Hand-dyed fabric, 36 in. x 36 in.
The hard-edge shapes that criss-cross Soft Target 5 are based on an Islamic geometric pattern found on two towers built in Kharraqan, Iran in the 11th century.
Fractured Target, 2016. Colored pencil, pencil and ink on paper, 12 in. x 12 in.
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Soft Target 4 (Herat, Afghanistan, 1200 AD), 2016. Soft Target 4 incorporates geometric patterns from The Great Mosque of Herat, Afghanistan. The target was installed horizontal to the ground in Glen Park Canyon, San Francisco, as if one could land on it from a great height. |
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Soft Target 3 (Lacawac Lake Trail), 2016. Custom printed fabric and canvas. 42 in. width x 42 in. height The custom-printed fabric in Soft Target 3 is based on an Islamic tile pattern found in The Alhambra, Spain (14th century). The work is shown here installed at Lacawac Sanctuary, Pennsylvania. |
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Soft Target 2, 2015. Custom printed fabric, canvas, and foam. 38 in. diameter x 3 in. height Soft Target 2 acted like a cushion, as if to catch a missile. The design incorporates an interlocking tile pattern found in The Alhambra, but with colors from “Woodland” and “Desert Pattern” US military camouflage. The work is shown here in Glen Park Canyon, San Francisco. |
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