Reese Betts - Retrospectra

Retrospectra

Projection and Sculpture Installation

Retrospectra is a projected sculptural installation which utilizes shadow and reflection to represent one's gradual degradation of memory, illustrating complex feelings towards aging while highlighting the metaphorical beauty that one can find within the cyclical nature of time itself. This piece celebrates shared artistic practice as a method of engaging women's cultural history within families through the utilization of tools once used by my grandmother, Sandra Betts, a former stained glass artist whose work could once be seen in homes and businesses throughout Springfield, Missouri.

Wooden Glass Tension Arrangement

Square dowels, recycled glass from wine bottle, recycled acrylic yarn, storefront turntable

This project was initially inspired by a logistical challenge - I wanted to create a small-scale, modular sculpture using fragments of glass that could be easily packed into a suitcase. The concept came to me in a dream: two wooden frames intercepting each other to create an X-shaped sculpture when viewed from above, enlarged by a projected beam of light.

I began working on a series of prototypes, modeled both digitally and in the real world, to see how I could most efficiently manipulate light and shadow to create a disorienting, yet magical effect. I found that curved, translucent glass bends light in a way that feels reminiscent of sunlight reflecting off of a rippling body of water - imagery that, for me, evokes a feeling of nostalgia while inspiring contemplation of the future.

My grandma, a former stained glass artist, had gifted me her tools, feeling that her hands were now too shaky and her skin too thin to be working with such dangerous materials. This project felt like the perfect opportunity to begin utilizing these tools in a way that felt not only integral to the concept, but to myself, as a contemplative process that allowed me to consider the cultural impact of artistic traditions passed down from women within families.