EXPECTANT

January 2024 Bolinas Farm Stand

An Installation by  Will Bartlett 

“Expectant” is a multimedia art composition that reflects the journey of life through various artistic elements. It includes drawings, projected imagery, and a musical score inspired by Bolinas, California’s unique topography. 

The piece symbolically starts at the sea, representing the beginning of life, and traverses through our path, encompassing the rises and falls of hills and valleys,  unexpected twists and turns, and acknowledgment of the places and moments that prompt growth and discovery.

As viewers march towards the end of the journey, they find themselves at the precipice. Contemplating accumulated knowledge and discoveries, we are witness to choice. Leap with our faith in experience, or return to the sea to be birthed again.

Each moment is marked by words naming the section, defining the stages of the journey. These simplified and succinct markers, provide anchors to moments defining the stages of healing that the piece

The gallery setting enhances the experience: projected images through windows evoke the dynamic movements of the environment and mark significant life moments. The walls are lined with hundreds of quickly sketched faces, capturing personalities unknown yet shared in the collective experience. 

Underfoot, and commanding one wall, the score of the piece acts as a foundation and explanation, paralleling how every life is built on common ground, allowing individual experiences to take shape.

“Expectant” aims to encapsulate the journey of life, highlighting the interplay between physical locations and metaphysical experiences in a continuous cycle of discovery, enhanced by the beauty of the present moment.

This work, created over the last four years, represents the artist’s period of change and discovery, offering a deep, reflective exploration of life’s journey.

The music for Expectant was recored with a live audience by Will Bartlett in the Farmstand throughout the installation. Leveraging the natural room resonance, harmonic frequencies were aligned and played against using voice, a number of reed instruments, guitars and synthesizers.

While architected to be a unique immersive experience, in a specific environment, the piece can be adapted to other locations. It’s universal narrative only bound by the space that contains it.

Expectant can be experienced virtually on the web on desktop and mobile devices.

The materials and componants of Expectant were wrapped up into a ball at the close of the show, and the entirety of the work is for sale.

Inquiries can be directed to will@willbartlett.org