An Index of Beginnings & Endings is an installation of an ongoing project by WVC Instructor Ellen Bruex, who took an ethnographer’s lens to her personal experiences, continually recording the monumental and ordinary transitions in her life with brief descriptions of the events on index cards, as they happened. This text-based installation displayed those cards, along with painted structures made of reclaimed doors, utilizing original poetry and symbolism to prompt viewers to step through, reflect on, and share their own recent transitional experiences.
Throughout the exhibition, participant-viewers were invited to contribute their own experiences to the exhibit, building a parallel timeline of beginnings and endings. Over 100 contributions were made, prompting Ellen to create a Community Index of Beginnings & Endings, a video compilation, which went on to be featured in a juried show at Punch Projects in Thorp, WA.
The Doors Revisited, Dec. 2024
