Liquefaction, the geological
term for the way soft soil turns to mush during an earthquake,
seems oddly compatible with the making of gelatin, a homely,
if colorful dessert that’s primarily composed of
water. Which is why there is something pertinent and unexpectedly
poetic to Liz Hickok’s photographs of a scale-model
San Francisco rendered in the translucent primary colors
of Jell-O®. Part sculpture, part photography and video,
her project resonates beyond the immediate appeal of the
rainbow colors to become a sublime form of landscape. Her
version of the city, which stems from a long-standing interest
in three-dimensional city maps, emits a different kind
of luminosity than the late 19th century Hudson River Valley
variety. Refracted light through gelatin, it so happens,
resembles semi-precious stones.
There’s a delightful irony to creating
architectural landmarks and government buildings in a
jiggly material most equated with hospital cafeterias.
The novelty of the sculptural medium – Hickok casts
her urban visions from molds she constructs herself based
on idealized postcard images and her own photographs – has
a way of making her vision go down smoothly. And when
she makes her city shake, as in her short video work,
the landscape comes alive with the power of nature and
culture on the brink of transformation. Hickok spikes
her Jell-O shots with a bracing dash of real life, giving
her kaleidoscopic imagery a potent kick.
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