By Pauline Tran
Seth Indigo Carnes’ latest project, Lobby Series #18: iheart variation 003, showcases a deep focus on the nuance of symbols and context. Located in the lobby of the Roger Smith Hotel—with its plush red carpets and stately concierge desk—Carnes reveals the hotel’s hip, artsy, social-media-savvy side with his graphic 8-inches-by-8-inches prints of a splatter spot, pill, surveillance camera, heart symbol and the words “iheart” (reinterpreted from Milton Glaser’s iconic 1970s marketing campaign for the city). Arranged in three rows, the 15 individually framed prints read as sentences written by Carnes with the intention that viewers supply the interpretation.
“On first glance, it’s sort of a very pop art feel,” explains Danika Druttman, communications manager for Roger Smith Arts. “You look at it and say, ‘Gosh that’s fun, but is there more?’”
The most enticing aspect of the series, presented in collaboration with ArtWeLove, is tracing the evolution of the symbols. In addition to Carnes’ prints, the lobby series includes works by Molly Dilworth, Ditte Gantriis, Changha Hwang and Douglas Rushkoff that reinterpret the five symbols and give them new meaning. In the hands of Gantriis, for example, a droplet from Carnes’ splatter spot takes on different colors to represent ink, blood, water and Fanta soda, which then morph into a papercut.
In a post-modern twist, Carnes then reinterprets variations from his fellow artists to create entirely new prints: In one variation, he’s taken Gantriis’ papercut and super-imposed it on a black heart to evoke even further metaphors.
On top of this mixing and remixing, Carnes invites the public to rearrange his 15 prints (every Tuesday, as well as the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 6 p.m.), to participate in the artwork. The variations are video recorded and shared online. In this way, iheart variation 003 is not a finished product but a constantly developing one that means a little more to everyone involved.
