Just Kidding
Ceramic, Nichrome Wire, Gold Lustre, 3D Printed Hardware, KB2040 Microcontroller, Circuitry, Neopixels, Electricity, Wood
2023
I grew up in a small paper town in rural Arkansas that some may misunderstand as a cultural wasteland. Most places like this have been zapped of their natural resources by corporations who exploit the labor of its population, eventually abandoning them, leaving empty towns in their wake. So many Southern artists, myself included, begin by seeing art as a way out. As a way to ascend social class and join mainstream bi-coastal America, often suppressing their identities along the way.
Just Kidding is a visual celebration of breaking free from convention and the expectations of "fine craft". "Just Kidding" is a colloquial phrase spoken to signal an abrupt change in direction. "Ah, just kidding! Wrong turn. Lets go back. Let's start over." It is about the grand pursuit of joy, meeting existential threats with levity. It is about valuing silliness + experimentation over self-seriousness + artistic convention. It is about identity, and giving up + giving in to your true nature. Its about the intersection of art and technology, clay and electricity, low brow material and high brow material.
It's about the color pink. An often misunderstood color, and in this case, a visual representation of misunderstood rural Southern America.
Just Kidding is a piece in Abigail Flynt's body of work entitled "Colloquial". It was made during her ceramics residency at STARworks in Star, North Carolina.