chrystal mcconnell : v i s u a l a r t i s t
"come and find me"
interactive collaborative installation
mixed media
126" x 150" x 96"
2016, 2017
​
​
IN COLLABORATION WITH:
El Segundo Public Library
Friends of El Segundo Public Library
El Segundo Public Library Photo Archives
El Segundo Historical Society
El Segundo Art Walk
Studio Antiques
​
. . . if you dare to inquire further, you will be rewarded . . .
Much like "Play Hard or Go Home", inside each one of these protruding books, you will find a library pocket, a photograph and a page number. However, each one of these photographs was hand-selected from the Historical Photo Archive found in the El Segundo Public Library. And these photos share a story in black and white. Each one was replicated and hand-cut so that fragments are missing. Subsequently, when you take the photograph to that page number, and place it into the clear photo corners, text is revealed through the missing pieces - much like a decoding device. Those are my words. Thoughts, feelings and secrets that relate back to my own childhood experience; but in a way, which also relate back to the town. The words also correlate to a real book title found inside the El Segundo Public Library. If you dare to explore further, there is a reference number on the back of each photograph that directs you to an actual book within the library’s own collection.
In a sense, I am asking you to play a game. A game that I have set up and constructed. And the more books you look through, the more historical evidence is revealed.
Because in life, we all have a story. This is not just about my story, or the story of El Segundo.
It’s also about Your story...
​
​