Janice Jakielski’s work somehow manages to feel futuristic and Victorian all at the same time. Her colorful headdresses on display at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft are quite photogenic, embroidered prettily with birds and adorned with paper flowers. They also feature some curious fashion choices: coffee mug halves that surround the eyes, wide ribbons that obscure the ears and even a bonnet made for two, each separate headdress connected by a striped portal in such a way that forces each wearer’s back to the other.
These dozen or so hats are purposefully exaggerated, their impracticality meant to enforce a sense of isolation on the wearer. The exhibition is even titled “Constructing Solitude,” and sets out to explore how a minor change or two from the norm can radically change our view of the world. Or something like that.
It all can be a bit of a leap. You have to go from merely admiring the skill and craftsmanship in these headdresses to imagining wearing them and how that might feel. It doesn’t help that the headdresses are placed at varying heights on the walls, and the taller they are, the harder it is to really examine them. Some key references are also unclear and don’t seem to readily serve the piece. The flowers are meant to signify floriography, a Victorian-era practice of using flowers to send messages, while the birds are a reference to auspicium — a form of divination that looks to the flight patterns of birds for signs. That’s nice, but to what end?
Jakielski does give museum-goers the chance to experience, rather than imagine, her work by setting up an interactive installation in the middle of the gallery space. In Across the Divide, three pairs of handmade binoculars look upon these miniature porcelain nature scenes, which include a pile of leaves and what looks like a cornfield and some weeds. The idea is that when you look through the binoculars, someone else has the opportunity to look through the other pair and you can experience this act of viewing together. Of course, that only works if there’s another person there to look through the binoculars with you, and that you both somehow knew what to do. Otherwise there’s little to guide you through the intended experience of this piece, which can lead you to look on in confusion or ignore it all together.
“Janice Jakielski: Constructing Solitude” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main Street, runs now through May 5. For more information, call 713-529-4848 or visit www.crafthouston.org.
