“Suspension”
300-foot mixed media installation by sam rueter, floral elements by lori denicola
Charleston Place Hotel, Charleston December-January 2021
“Slash & burn”
A collaborative, live installation by artists sam rueter and bri wenke
Entrepreneur’s Organization East Coast Conference, 2019
STATEMENT:
“In order to thrive and flourish, sometimes we must slash and burn…”
Our ancestors knew this, and practiced it in order to clear land, gain fertile soil, and raise communities. A more modern definition of ‘Slash and Burn’ may contain further complexities, and we often practice a self-destructive version of this on ourselves. Is this a necessary journey to reach where we want to be? Must we destroy, or let decay, before we can grow and develop into something more meaningful and beautiful? Is it always a choice?
Within our interactive, live installation, we visually wrestle with this concept, elegantly placing the two opposing stages side-by-side. A visual representation of rebirth.
'Things They Carry"
collaboration and installation by artists Sam Rueter and Bri Wenke
The Grand Bohemian Gallery, Spoleto Festival 2018
Statement:
"We all have stories. Layers-- that have been slathered on us since birth. Circumstances that are written for us without our permission. Our experiences mold our identity, some more prominent than others. At times this is horrifying. Others, liberating.
This physical presence is an extension of our personal growth, or even lack of. Compassion or neglect, confidence or doubt, abuse or love-- all of it. A physical manifestation of our occurrences; we stash it away in our bodies and carry on.
These human art forms represent a shift in the story. Ceasing to blame ourselves for the weight we never asked to carry. Recognizing it in one another and standing together in solidarity, to heal.
Imagine the world without judgment. Without preconceived notions of who we believe the other to be. How would the world look if we were able to take better care of one another? If we all saw each other for who we really are— undefined by our imperfections— and truly accepted.
photography by Stephanie Dasher