Ward's signature medium is tape -- be it electrical tape, duct tape or masking tape. Through this medium she explores the unique structures of the sites in which her installations are situated. In an interview with Today's Zaman she explains that her work constitutes a “collaboration” between a particular space and herself.The artist has long been fascinated with tape. “I think I realized that tape could be a wonderfully suitable medium for installation pieces when I started to appreciate it for both its aesthetic -- color and texture -- and practical -- adhesive, linear -- qualities,” she explains. She began to experiment with tape to decorate her apartment while she was in art school. “It looked pretty bad, but I was obsessed with lines and stripes and bright colors. There is something incredibly seductive about the material: so bright, shiny and smooth. I ordered a box of colored duct tape my final year of college and did my first installation in 2005.”
Ward's work is site-specific, taking its shape in response to the particular details of its venue. “Many things can influence the way an installation looks. Some surfaces can be really tricky to work with in getting the tape to stick and adhere -- brick is like near impossible -- but the easiest surface is drywall,” she explains, adding: “My art is about an interaction with space and the built environment that I'm asked to interact with. I suppose the installations are more of an exploration of an existing environment rather than a specific product of my imagination. It's sort of collaboration between a space and myself. Without space, the projects can't really exist.”
In regard to her current installation in İstanbul, she says: “In this particular installation, the three gallery windows at the back of the oblong gallery heavily influenced the final shape. The windows are a defining feature and focal point of the room and their shape is reflected in the piece. She adds that the exhibition took her nearly 70 hours to create.
Regarding the specific colors of the tape she uses in the exhibition, she explains: “I was thinking about print design. ‘CMYK' is the title of the show and it stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key [black]. These are standard four-color process colors used in printing. I wanted to base the exhibit around them and use the concept to produce works on paper and a video. It's all exploring the way the colors mix in illusionary space.”
In addition to tape, the artist also works with video and projection. Asked whether there are any other mediums she would like to explore in the future, she says: “I hope to get my hands on some highway and road marking paint. I think it would be really fun to make some large-scale paintings and designs on streets and highways.” The current exhibition will run through Sept. 27 at the Milk Gallery in Beyoğlu.
