Nocturnal creatures, arise! Textile artist Jody MacDonald’s new show All Over Everywhere features 1,000 ten-inch bats, which may or may not also resemble humans. Appropriate that the show comes to Gotham, but a Batman superhero tale this is not — unless you account for bats’ amazing resiliency. A commentary on the beauty of a species in the wake of deadly disease, the show runs at Yashar Gallery (276 Greenpoint Ave) and is created against a diorama of New York City. See it now through December 4 and read up on the Greenpointers interview below.
Greenpointers: How long have you worked in textile figures and what got you interested?
Jody MacDonald: I majored in textiles during my foundational art training and textiles continue to be a key element in my practice to this day.
I first started making 20-inch-tall textile figures with identical photo-transferred faces in 2002. I used to get frustrated when people referred to the figures as dolls. Then I realized that this nostalgic association forged a powerful connection to the work. Who hasn’t owned or played with a doll or action figure as a child? I’ve learned to utilize this attraction to deliver challenging themes and subjects. There is an irresistible attraction to small-scale objects, both for the maker and for the viewer.
Can you explain the piece and the inspiration behind it?
All Over Everywhere features 1,000, ten-inch-tall bat/human textile figures set within a walk-in, greyscale diorama of New York City of places that no longer exist.
Inspired by the 2006 New York State outbreak of White Nose Syndrome (WNS)—a deadly fungus decimating bat colonies—the installation highlights the folly of a society on the brink of extinction.
The figures are presented in three stages of WNS: pre-infection (still hibernating), post-infection (dead), and currently infected (awake). Grouped into tableaux these “woke” bat/humans act out satirical yet poignant narratives inspired by politics, contemporary society, war, pandemics, and the ongoing demise of ecology, and human rights.
The work is a combination of fine art and craft materials and techniques.
Your exhibit has 1,000 figures and you said it took a decade to complete; when did you carve out time to work?
In 2012, after researching endangered species, I created several hundred little brown bat figures. Then, unexpectedly, I had to pack up the bats. They stayed in storage for a decade.
In 2022, I participated in a 4heads installation residency on Governor’s Island. Having time and space to revisit the bats was a true gift. Over fourteen weeks I created the first iteration of All Over Everywhere, a room-sized diorama with 385 ten-inch-tall figures.
In 2024 I received a NYSCA FY2024 grant to expand the installation. Full-time studio hours, plus many weekends and evenings this past year has gotten the piece to its current status.
The piece is finding a home at Yashar Gallery; how did that partnership come about?
In 2023 I moved my studio to Brooklyn Art Studios (BAS) in Greenpoint. Yashar Gallery is connected to BAS and tenants may apply to present exhibitions there. Yashar is a beautiful, unconventional space. There is no gallery staff — each exhibit is designed and staffed by presenting artists.
As a NYSCA FY2024 grant funded project, the work needed to be publicly presented within 2024. I decided to present All Over Everywhere at Yashar as a work-in-progress. Using my three-week occupancy as an ad-hoc artist residency, I’m finishing the installation during the run of the show. I’ve scheduled consistent open hours and three public events (one each week of the show) where visitors can follow the progress of the piece.
What do you hope people walk away with?
My hope is that as visitors will connect with the work as they explore the installation and feel the same range of emotions that I’ve felt as I’ve worked on it: delight, dismay, joy, heartbreak, rage. I want viewers to laugh, think, and question the absurd antics of the creatures in this miniature world that mirrors our own.
Photos provided by the artist. The gallery is open Wed–Sun, 1–6pm or by appointment (347-593-9001). There is an Artist Talk & Reception Friday, November 22, 6–9pm and Closing Celebration Wednesday, December 4, 6–9pm.