and the days fly by on their own, is an intricate site-specific installation constructed by Jade Townsend. This is Townsend’s first solo exhibition in New York City.

In his redefinition of the gallery space, Townsend juxtaposes various symbolic elements that function as guides for the visitors making their way through the narrative structure. Throughout the installation, Townsend deliberately emphasizes the fabricated nature of its different constituents, thus alluding to the falsity often prevalent in our environment, as well as our inability to disguise the artificial character from which it is composed.

Upon entering the space, the visitor is confronted with a large dilapidated cinder block wall pierced by a substantial hole. A closer inspection reveals that in effect this wall is entirely manufactured from prop components rather than building materials. When stepping through the hole, the viewer encounters a range of objects, all of which are white and stripped of their distinct attributes, thus separating them from their original context and supposed meaning.

The second space within this installation can only be observed from the outside via a distorted window that offers a forced 2:1 perspective. Containing a simplified scene of normalcy and ambiguous constructed scenery, this room reaffirms Townsend’s desire to introduce a reality that the spectator can only interpret subjectively.

Enclosing the entire environment is a chain-link fence, which also encompasses an area of dying sod and an elevated yard of miniature plastic trees, amongst others. The various elements that this installation is comprised of conjure up an array of associations from our surroundings and open a critical dialogue with our constructed systems of reality. Thus, Townsend devises a novel experience that is populated by an open-ended collection of social and cultural symbols, while maintaining a cohesive and personal nature.