Reeves Studios

Southern Static, 2017

Installed/Performed at Elsewhere Museum 

Greensboro, NC

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Southern Static is inspired from folklore and superstitions of the American Southeast.

After extensive research, Reeves created a 'performative saloon' where items in the museums collection that dealt with spectral phenomenon were collected in the 'Ghost Room.' Reeves installed floating lamps and neon tubes which illuminated the room with a soft, 'haint blue.' The color blue is said to guide bad spirits out of the house and out of this world, and is an energetic color of transformation, healing, and ideas. While working in the haint room, vestiges were left of curious superstitions through text and performative action. By celebrating the peculiar nature of the south, the artist created a welcoming environment that acted as a parlor where guests could interpret the beliefs for themselves.

This research culminated with an opening where a 'dumb supper' was re-enacted; an old tradition performed by young women, which is said to summon the ghost of the man who the young woman will marry. 

Learn more about the project here.