Cate Traywick, Arts and Entertainment Editor
“‘Indigo Hallow’ is not a portrait of a place — of Shakerag Hollow — but an intuitive and poetic response to that place,” reads the plaque that greets visitors upon entering the dynamic installation. “Indigo Hallow” by Baggs McKelvey is a site-specific art exhibit currently on display at the University Art Gallery (UAG), drawing from her experience with Shakerag Hollow, an iconic Sewanee hiking destination.
In abstract, McKelvey pays tribute to Shakerag Hollow: long strips of denim stretch from floor to balcony, the fabric adorns the walls in an almost bird-like shape and behind it all rests on a cascade of blue-jean .The scale of it all is truly incredible; the gallery is transformed into a landscape that invites one to fully immerse themselves into the world of “Indigo Hallow.”
UAG attendant Freya Colvill (C ’29) recognizes the denim as a vessel for further meaning. “In one way, this installation is made up of a man-made material. Denim, however, has a history of blue-collar labor and the gold rush. It’s a material made out of necessity in response to the environment people were in.” This response, the instinctive and innate, is just what McKelvey works to produce.
“The geological and natural history of the hollow is just as much a part of the place as the coal miners and moonshine production that are integral to its human history. We are a product of the places we come from, and they are a product of us,” Colvill said.
McKelvey is no stranger to the material. Her previous works, “Indigo,” “Indigo Wave” and “Indigo Web,” explore a specific place to create a fully realized work, much like “Indigo Hallow.” To create these places the artist pays close attention to the senses. As you walk through the exhibit it is difficult to not be struck by the dynamic soundscape created for the space. From birdsong to cicadas to a recording from the 2017 Women’s March in New York, everything heard is intentionally placed to express McKelvey’s answer to everything she experienced while walking Shakerag Hollow. When discussing the soundscape, Colvill noted the sounds of the Women’s March: “It’s [Women’s March] startled me many times while sitting in the gallery, but Baggs meant to do this. Outside of the peaceful bubble of Sewanee, with the soft background noise of nature overlain with the laughter and joy of college life, there is a world full of issues.”
This piece is innately unique and disarming, as site specific installations so often are, and has drawn students, university staff and visitors alike.
“It’s been really fun,” senior and UAG attendant Hunter-Nicole Jolley told The Purple, “we’ve had environmental studies in here and economics, of course some arts classes as well…it’s connected the arts to such a wide variety of people on campus.”
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, McKelvey visited the UAG and held an artist talk for the installation, discussing her process and inspiration behind the work. Her talk, along with a slideshow showcasing her previous indigo-centric installations, invited guests into McKelvey’s world of denim, diving deeper into the meaning of her work. After the talk, there was a question about whether her work can be isolating, Colvill recalls, “to McKelvey, it’s the very opposite. Cutting the denim into strips was done at denim dinner parties, it was sourced from family, friends and thrift stores…her work would not be possible without community, and that’s part of the beauty of it.”
McKelvey has created this immersive piece that asks viewers to experience Shakerag Hollow through her understanding of the landscape, as well as our own, blending natural history with human, and creating something truly unique. “Indigo Hallow” will be on display through Oct. 15.