Wonderland
by Mary Sherman
Sound: The Blue Line to Wonderland by Roger Doyle

Lewis Carroll’s Sylvie and Bruno is the inspiration for Wonderland, a visual, aural and kinetic cautionary tale. In Carroll’s story, the inhabitants of Wonderland make an ingenious map. A 1:1 scale map of the world. But as one of the characters says, it was a bit impractical, so “we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well.” Wonderland, offers a similarly absurd human folly, the creation of an artificial flower.

Installation: Variable
Includes:
Main Structure: 21”x 55” x 30”, micro-processors, aluminum, wood, motors, electronics, oil on board. (Note: A wall-mounted button starts the piece).
The “Flower” (powered by the “Sun” and “Water”): 11.5”x3”x3”, plastic strips, motor, aluminum.
The “Sun”: 50” x13”x13”, LED light bulbs, aluminum, solar panel.
The “Water”: pumped between 2 syringes.
The “Earth”: 51”x 55”x 2”, Maps of New York Planning Commission’s 1969 proposal for Staten Island (scale: 1”:1 mile), including framed map detail (serving as the audio/speaker membrane that broadcasts Doyle’s composition).

Acknowledgements: With special thanks to Siyi Wang for the video editing, Andrew Anselmo for help with the button circuitry, and George Bossarte for his unwavering, troubleshooting support.