Temporary Order

At Monte Azul Center for the Arts in Costa Rica, Langlands exhibited Temporary Order, an installation and activation made from rocks gathered from the surrounding landscape. The rocks were painted, or “glitched,” and arranged across a floor grid to create a sculptural composition of temporary order. During the activation, Langlands situated herself among the natural and glitched rocks as an element within the grid. With a rock placed on her heart, she remained in contact with its weight while maintaining her breath. Audience members joined her in silence, also positioning themselves in the grid with rocks. At the conclusion of Temporary Order, the grid was dismantled and its glitched remains were piled on a rock.

“I work with heavy objects and objects that represent this—painting them, arranging them, and assigning them meaning. I struggle with authority, and heavy objects hold a certain degree of authority. As an artist and a woman who exists, I arrange them on my terms; a kind of transformation happens. Transformation is a central topic in all of my works.”