Projects > The Way We Were, 2008-09

Project Description:

In 2005, Philip Brou received an invitation to his 10-year high school reunion. He did not attend the reunion and had not stayed in touch with anyone from high school. His classmates were lost to him. In 2008, the artist began drawing their portraits from his yearbook. The portraits were drawn using colored pencil, each one is slightly larger than a quarter. Brightly colored concentric rings were drawn on the backs.
Brou then built a tornado chamber to house the portraits. Laminar and cyclonic airflow cause them to continually fly through the chamber. The flight of all 247 portraits creates a hypnotic, sparkling effect. While flying they hit the plexiglass walls of the chamber, creating a sound similar to rain hitting a roof.