I Have Loved the Stars Too Fondly to be Fearful of the Night
A flashlight is a simple but powerful tool. Its effects are two fold, to illuminate the subject of its gaze, and to obscure the identity of its user, giving her both the powers of x-ray vision and invisibility. The Mag-lite brand flashlights used by the LAPD has an added feature, its’ durable aluminum alloy shaft doubles as a “nightstick.” In “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night” Mag-lites are used in the gallery to construct the nine familiar constellations featured in the Orion myth. Entering the gallery the blaring flashlights initially strip of her ability to see. Once her eyes adjust she is confronted with an LAPD officer and K-9 dog. The Officer and dog initially affect a startling authority through attire and historical precedence, however, this authority is undermined as the officer and dog become subject to the patrons gaze subsequently objectified as art object.