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Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation) | Public Sculptures by ELYSE DEFOOR. Item composed of fabric
Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation) | Public Sculptures by ELYSE DEFOOR. Item composed of fabric
Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation) | Public Sculptures by ELYSE DEFOOR. Item composed of fabric
Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation) | Public Sculptures by ELYSE DEFOOR. Item composed of fabric

Created and Sold by ELYSE DEFOOR

ELYSE DEFOOR

Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation) - Public Sculptures

Featured In Atlanta, GA

$ On Inquiry

"In March 2012, I was a given the opportunity to create an outdoor installation using the 23 wedding dresses I had collected at that time.

In a private location in the historic Castleberry Hill neighborhood in downtown Atlanta, I suspended the dresses from iron girders and rafters thirty feet high up in the air. The dresses were exposed to the outdoors for two months.

My intent was to display them as hides, like skins hanging in the safari tent – an 1800s etching embedded in my memory.

After months of planning, I was surprised that they did not hang like the dead animal skins I had envisioned. Instead each dress took on a life of its own, and the scope of vision expanded as they rocked and spun around, and billowed up for a few seconds at a time.

On rainy days they grew heavy. As Spring unveiled itself, clouds of yellow pollen collected on their fabric, and black bugs were trapped inside. Each day was an unexpected dance of motion and worry as they began to fall.

The installation was not publicized. Only a few people witnessed this unique event. Those who saw it expressed curiosity and delight. Most offered their own interpretations as the installation changed and evolved.

As continue to take these relics of marriage “out of the box,” my goal is to create installations that act as invitations for the public to dialogue on the mythology and beliefs around the concept of marriage."

Item Relics of Marriage (Outdoor Installation)
Created by ELYSE DEFOOR
As seen in Castleberry Hill, Atlanta, GA
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ELYSE DEFOOR
Meet the Creator
Wescover creator since 2020
The Art of Personal Mythology

Elyse Defoor is a multidisciplinary artist who is inspired by a person’s connection to their inner spirit and unconscious world. From this passionate inspiration, she produces artwork that can be both bold and mysterious. Her drawings, paintings, photography and large scale installations have gained international recognition and national exposure.

In 2008, Defoor’s series “X.U.ME” was presented as a solo exhibition at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Louisiana. X.U.ME is Defoor’s visual response to having seen the Xs marked across the New Orleans landscape after Hurricane Katrina, and was initially developed during her month long residency at Hambidge Arts in 2006.

X.U.ME was featured at the Spruill Gallery, Atlanta in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Katrina in August 2010. In addition to an interview with NBC om “Weekend Today”, a PBS special was created in October, 2010 about Defoor and X.U.ME.

In February 2010, Defoor’s solo exhibit at the Wm Turner Gallery in Atlanta introduced “Via Dorso: Sonnets to Unguarded Moments” to critical acclaim. ArtsCriticATL reviewer Jerry Cullum described Defoor’s exhibit as “classicism becomes contemporary” and “the combination of tradition and innovation is mesmerizing.”

Defoor’s past experience as an environmental graphic designer brings a wealth of knowledge of materials, production techniques, and project coordination to her exhibitions and public art installations. In September 2011, Defoor’s “one million thoughts of joy” digital installation premiered, and was seen by over 1,750,000 viewers in downtown Atlanta.

In March 2012, Defoor suspended 23 wedding dresses in an outdoor location in Castleberry Hill. This unpublicized installation marked the second phase of “Relics of Marriage” which initially began as photographic portraiture of previously worn wedding dresses hanging from a single chain in her studio. An indoor mixed-media installation of Relics of Marriage exhibited in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography 2012 at The Arts Exchange in Atlanta.

Due to popular demand, Defoor recently completed the first version of the Relics of Marriage art photography book in which she paired the portraits with statements—ranging from biting to poignant to sugary sweet—given primarily by the dresses’ owners. Copies of this special edition accompanied a selection of large scale framed prints from the Relics series for her inaugural solo New York exhibition at Umbrella Arts Gallery in New York City, April – June 2015.

From her “Exposed” series of mixed media drawings, Defoor was invited to be one of twelve artists to participate in “The Drawing Experiment” at the Chastain Art Gallery in Atlanta, July. 2015. In August 2016, her work from the Belted series was exhibited at Whitespace Gallery as part of “The Garden of Unearthly Delights”, in celebration of the Bosch Quincentenary.

Defoor’s solo exhibit “Unbridled” at Gallery 72 in Atlanta, includes two large-scale installations of her work from “Belted”, “Exuvia” and the “Relics of Marriage” series. “Unbridled” is sponsored by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, April 12 – June 7, 2018.

In 2018, Defoor moved her studio to a large industrial space - EBD4. Conceived initially as a creative exhibition and events space, Defoor offered local artists opportunities to share their work through open call and invitational exhibitions, solo presentation opportunities, readings, performances and other events. Highlights of the EBD4 exhibition schedule were 40 Over 40, Disposition (featuring work by Soo Kim, Nam Kim and Mizu-su), Loss. Redemption. Grace. and Unseen Atlanta (photographic work by Al Clayton). The Object Show, produced by five Atlanta sculptural artists, was the final exhibition of 2019. Heading in 2020, Defoor transitioned EBD4 back into her personal studio space for a self-imposed artist residency. The space offers an opportunity for Defoor to present past bodies of work together and the room to turn her attention to In Between, a new series of work created in isolation as the world began a quarantine in response to the 2020 novel coronavirus.

Elyse Defoor lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.

A video of the first day of the Relics of Marriage outdoor installation, along with exhibit tours, documentation on her Loss. Redemption. Grace installation, NBC, and the PBS special, may be viewed on YouTube.