Pontiac I

2014 | 6ft x 8ft x 1in | earth collected from Pontiac, MI, water, and house paint

Ephemeral sculpture made using soil from Pontiac, MI crafted into mud bricks that take their shape from both Odawa textile patterning and the Pontiac car company. Both the city of Pontiac, and the Pontiac car company that was founded there take their name from Chief Pontiac, an Odawa war chief and rebel fighter known for leading armies against the British in the Great Lakes region from 1763 to 1766 in what would be called Pontiac’s War. In 2010 the Pontiac car company officially went under, collapsing the economy of a community that had already been in steady decline since the 1960’s. Examining Pontiac as both a site and political legacy deeply intertwined with imperialism, mythology and decline.

The mud bricks for the piece were handcrafted, painted, and then returned to the ground of Pontiac.