Trophies of the American Home

Paul D. McKee
2008 MFA Thesis Exhibition

By using items from an exaggerated domestic environment (specifically items pertaining to the creation of home by traditional hetero-normative standards) and juxtaposing them with objects and materials associated with men and masculinity, I wish to trigger an internal reaction in the viewer.  By questioning the competition of these items with one another (and their classification in relation to gender), I am commenting on the social structure of the home and family in our modern society and its exclusion of certain peoples- specifically gay and lesbian family units. While trying to convey these issues in order to initiate a visual dialog, I introduce the viewer to my present situation: an outsider in a traditional heterosexual environment struggling to make sense of these common structures and their relationship to success and the accomplishment of the so called "American dream".

In this installation, Trophies of the American Home, a portion of home is reconstructed to form a space within a space, alluding to the superficiality and falsity of many such places.  The fragmented assembly of the walls is a direct reference to this reconstruction and such attempts at building a home.  Disjointed structures appear as complete walls and functional items are rendered useless yet inviting while the domestic tranquility of home is interrupted on many levels.  This disruption differs as viewers occupy the space with their personal histories and knowledge of what a "home" is or should be. 

I want the viewers to acknowledge the objects' existence- their histories, their contents and their connections to diverse perceptions of family, home and sanctuary.  I want their personal stories and my own to establish common ground regardless of the viewer's upbringings, levels of tolerance or feelings about non-normative sexualities and spaces; I want them to use the work as a bridge between.