Gretchen Marie Schaefer: Enduring Gravity | Project Room

In her sculptures, performances, and works on paper, rocks serve as the entry point of Schaefer’s work. Ubiquitous and elemental, rocks speak to physics and the natural world while carrying multiple metaphorical interpretations. Firstly, rocks invoke the ground or Earth and its counterpart the moon. Both celestial bodies, bound by gravity yet perpetually distanced by orbital speed, the Earth and moon are curiously forever linked at arm’s length. Secondly, a rock’s weight is the result of Earth’s gravitational pull. The truth of gravity is indisputable, a constant force as reliable as any in this universe. Lastly, the gravity of the times in which we live are an emotional weight carried by all. In these three ways, Schaefer draws humanity and tenderness from the stones she creates.