US street artist Swoon, born Caledonia Dance Curry specialises in wheat pasting, paper crafting and print, normally depicting human figures. She began her street work in 1999 while studying a BA in Fine Art at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.
I remember watching this video years ago as I was then starting to get into my street work and heard the way she described the circumstance of the handicapped man who had turned her work into a local legend which he called 'the secret'. She then also outlined how the nature of this 'secret' had spread beyond just the man and out to everyone on the block who shared it as an object of sanctity. I remember finding this idea captivating, and that with a simple act an artist could impact and enrich the lives of those around them just by intervening with the environment. It is this sense which I have always aimed to capture in my own work.She also focuses deeply on texture and depth. Her first paste-ups used tracing paper so that the texture and colour of the wall underneath could still be seen. As well as her street work, she also creates large scale site specific installations including a series of handmade junk rafts which she sent down many major waterways and rivers including the Adriatic Sea and Venice Grand Canal, filled with people which held an evening performance of live music by night as they drifted. They were designed to just about fit under the bridges of Venice (their final intended location) by inches and would sometimes need a little push if stuck. Inspired in part by the architecture of Venice, but also strongly by climate change, dislocation, flood and the search for home and sanctuary after terrible disaster.
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