Karthik Pandian at Midway by: Jenny Moran

When first entering the room, your eyes must adjust to the unlit area. Black envelopes the space, leaving one wantonly stretching, grasping at the nothingness encompassing them. But shortly after the mild shock, and eventually adjusting to the darkness, one can begin to take it all in, the installation that is, for its entirety. In the center of the gallery lies a stepped plaza of earth with two immaculate mirrorplane glass structures, each possessing a projector of their own. They are placed diagonally from one another, projecting their film (16mm) onto opposing walls of the gallery. Of the two films shown, one plays the sunrise rising in the east, while the other plays the sunset setting in the west. The films themselves are actually quite short (no longer than a minute or two at the very most), and are played on a continued loop. Upon following the film exiting both projectors, it moves throughout the rafters amazingly, causing the viewer to get lost in the ceiling as if it was a starry night. The film loops are supported by a grid of red colored twine that hangs from the ceiling weightlessly, almost as if it were floating in the sky (the grid is something in similarity that would be utilized at an actual archaeological dig site). The concept of this installation, and it actually being pulled off, is almost unfathomable. Almost.

Karthik Pandian drew his inspiration from downtown Chicago and the Chahokia Mounds (a composite site of vast pre-Columbian Native American earthenware that is under East St. Louis, Illinois) while he was field researching. While the piece certainly charms and pleases the viewer throughout the duration of their stay, the piece also raises a grave concern that should be noted. The film loop, as mentioned earlier, is supported by a grid of twine hung from the ceiling. This twine is very harsh, destructive, and corrosive to the film itself. It serves as an important reminder of how ephemeral and fleeting the actual piece is (as it will eventually be taken down, with sledgehammers might I add), as well as our link to the past; much of history itself is slipping away from our grasp.

The piece itself is engaging, inviting the viewer in with a slight curiosity as to what the artist is trying to convey or get across. Pandian not only grasps our attention as an audience, he gives a full message--a social commentary on what we should fear (forgetting and loosing the past). The exhibition is extraordinarily done, with clean construction, and juxtaposing mediums (harsh sand plaza in
comparison to the pristine mirrrorplane glass structures). Well done Karthik Pandian, well done!