soft presence, hard absence
Introduction
An interplay of soft fabrics printed with images of historical documents and threads that drape over storage shelving, soft presence, hard absence offers an alternate system where the RISD Museum’s collection can be more easily accessed. Silk and linen threads wrap and tangle around museum paperwork and reproductions of objects not available for public viewing, suggesting the possibility of unraveling hidden stories. Paintings that can’t be requested for in-person viewing are copied in air-dry clay and resin, making them visible to the public. On view in the Chace Center lobby, this installation by artist Linda Sok (RISD MFA 2025, Sculpture), winner of the 2024 Dorner Prize, encourages viewers to reconsider the conventions of collections and storage, and invites conversations around inaccessibility within standard museum practices.
The Dorner Prize is an annual juried competition that invites RISD student artists and designers to create new installations, performances, programs, or digital encounters that engage the public by using the RISD Museum’s object collections, public spaces, and digital platforms. The Dorner Prize, named for the distinguished early 20th-century RISD Museum director Alexander Dorner, is made possible by a generous anonymous gift.
2024 Jurors: Hillel O’Leary (RISD BFA 2011), assistant professor, Industrial Design, RISD; and Gabrielle Walker, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet Curatorial Assistant, RISD Museum
Exhibition images
