Retrospective was an installation which focused on three major themes. The first theme was recreating a standard living room/den (as seen-roughly-in Better Homes and Gardens Magazines from the period) which could be participated in. That is, the viewers were able to engage in the space, move through it, touch the artifacts, sit on the couch, watch the TV, or read the books. This enabled them to become a part of the history of the piece, which was itself historical. In taking part in the space, the viewers by default must participate in the ideology of the space, becoming a breathing participant in a historical place they may not be comfortable with in terms of the alignment of their ideals. It enables them to question their role in the space and the function of preserving the past, preservation which is fundamentally altered when the space takes on a new historical trajectory.

The second theme was that of construction. In designing the space, I modelled nearly every component from the Handy-Man Instruction Manuals of the time.There was a team of 11 people who moved the piece in component parts from the my studio to the gallery, assembled it, and put on all the molding as well as securing it to the gallery walls. The objects within the piece are all 'found' items. I also searched high and low for each piece of furniture and novelty for the space to represent the period as well as possible.

The third theme, and for me the most crucial are the drawings on the walls. Each drawing is rendered with a #2 pencil drawn directly onto the painted SheetRock. Each of the figures connects to another figure within its panel. Each of the figures is an illustration redrawn from a number of 1960's Home Improvement Manuals. In presenting these figures outside of their already closed chapter in history, I was not only reexamining them and there usefulness, I was also presenting a reminder to the audience: the images they find humorous are occurring and particpating in the same space they are. That is, the viewer, by entering the installation, is engaging in a space allowing the attitudes, clothes, ideals and norms of this period. The drawings created a highly elaborate frame of reference casually dressed over as wallpaper.

The installation was a hit. In the month it was exhibited at the Melville Gallery, over 2,000 viewers saw the installation.