Between the Shelves: Amanda Manitach w/ Timothy Cross
Timothy Cross is an artist, curator at the Sea-Tac Airport, who lives and works in Seattle, WA. He received a B.A. from The Evergreen State College and an MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. He commonly works with xerox prints, which he cuts, transfers, and reassembles onto silk, paper, and aluminum. For his current exhibition at Two Shelves, Cross uses found objects, small cast sculptures, and magnetized components to create a deeply layered web of objects that simultaneously feel familiar and alien.
Amanda Manitach is an artist, curator at Seattle University's Hedreen Gallery, visual arts editor at CityArts magazine, and co-founder of The Factory a studio in the Pike/Pine corridor of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Love Letters, 2015. Amanda Manitach : What does "shelf" mean to you?
Timothy Cross : What I love about shelves is that they can be so many things. I see them as a type of container that can be filled with whatever we wish. They’re functional and very simple but can also be aesthetic and exalting. Shelves are a little bit of architecture that help us defy gravity, keeping our various materials organized and protected. I’d also like to give a mention to ice shelves, but that’s for another conversation.
Kelly and Joe’s shelves are an intimate place. I like to think of Two Shelves as their modest offering to the art gods, opening up a bit of their most personal space for others to share their personal creations. It’s just one interpretation, but I like seeing it this way.
These shelves aren’t particularly better than any other shelves but they carry the attitudes that Kelly and Joe have bestowed on them: curiosity, openness, sensitivity and more. It’s the perfect place to respond to as an artist.
AM : Look around right now, wherever you are: what is on the nearest shelf? Don't cheat and lie.
TC: I never cheat or lie! But I do exaggerate sometimes. There are many shelves around me. My studio is full of shelves. I’m a big fan. But the nearest shelf is me at the moment—my cat pretty much thinks I’m his personal portable shelving unit. The second nearest shelf holds the aftermath of my recent show at Two Shelves. It’s pretty much a junk yard full of half-finished thoughts and tidbits that didn’t make it onto the shelves.
There are approximately 12 shelves or shelving units in my immediate vicinity, no exaggerating.
AM : Are the things on your self objects of value?
TC : Besides my cat and I which I would consider moderately valuable I would say I’m not sure. Mostly it’s full of my art, supplies, books and tools. They’re very valuable to me.
AM : Send me a photo of every shelf in your home.
TC : Good god.
AM : Send me a photo of every shelf in your studio.
TC : Heh. Done.
AM : Why do you think you can bring a fresh perspective to a "shelf"?
TC : I think that just like everyone else I am unique. We all bring a certain mix of perspective and experience to the table, uh, shelf. I think I tend to grab onto something, some way of working or some idea and dig deep. I go back and forth looking for differences and connections between all kinds of things. I look for qualities that tie everything together, while allowing elements to assert their own identity. And all the while I’m sort of just laughing, having fun. What’s fresh to me is what’s alive and active, not just saying one thing well, but saying many things at once- it’s a similar way to how we go through the world experiencing many things simultaneously.
AM : Does curating an airport have any impact on your use of or approach to space?
TC : I think is has. It would be hard to say how; some of the lessons to learn with showing art are subtle. I’d say the biggest impact is how the airport has continued my obsession with nodes. It’s some fixed point that allows other various things to flow through it. The airport is a vastly complicated filter for people, light and air. I get to go play with art in that flow, which has shaped some of my attitudes about people and art.
AM : Why aren't there more shelves in airports?
TC : That is an excellent question. I will ask airport ops. Actually, I just installed a beautifully turned wooden bowl on a shelf at the airport last week. And now that I think about it, Claire Cowie and I installed some her work on shelves last week too. They’re everywhere!
AM : Do you like flying?
TC : Love it, as long as I’m not stuck in the middle seat.
AM : Have you ever placed an installation on a "shelf" in an airplane?
TC : No but I would LOVE to. Heck I would love to install any art in an airplane and then go for a ride.
AM : Did you at any time ever find 120 inches inadequate?
TC: Naw. At one point I imagined recreating a series of new shelves in the same place, I thought it would be fun. But then I remembered that the fun isn’t dominating or recreating a space according to my will but in honoring it and teasing out what’s vital in the space that’s already there. Love Letters opening reception Thursday, May 14th 7 - 10 pm at Two Shelves.