Go On, Git!
Landin Eldridge ’21
On View: March 26-31, 2021
My drawings depict absurd encounters from everyday life. I force characters to confront uncomfortable scenarios: guilt from the past, fear of the future, and humor in the present. It is almost impossible not to laugh because this combination is ridiculous and awkward. I want to capture the exact moment a good thing goes bad, extracting ideas from my memories and hinting at larger American institutions and cultural phenomena. As a rural southerner who frequently shops at Walmart after 10pm, I am familiar with the absurdity of existence in this country.
I am obsessed with causing laughter that my audience cannot control, but like anyone who works with humor, I live in fear that no one will laugh. Humor has the potential to crash and burn at any moment. The possibility of failure keeps me on edge and forces innovation.
I use puppets to approach difficult subjects, like a therapist uses them to talk through issues with a child. Puppets function as a playful access point to serious themes. Do you need practice for your first kiss? Put on your favorite lipstick and french one of my puppets. Can’t seem to find an extra chaperone for prom? Slap one of my puppets in an ill-fitting 80s tux and station him right by the punch bowl. The possibilities are endless.
My work would not be complete without direct interaction from audience members. I need people to laugh and feel guilty for laughing. I need people to touch my squishy sculptures and feel absence when they let go. I need to create art for a community in this idiosyncratic way, constantly risking failure for a chance at comedic poignancy.
Landin Eldridge is pursuing a BA in Studio Art and Theatre at Davidson College, NC. Her body of work explores the intersection of humor and guilt, portraying the exact moment a good thing turns bad. Her pieces won the popular vote award (2018) and the best in show award (2019) at Davidson’s annual student art exhibition. She is also the recipient of the Douglas Houchens Studio Art Award (2020) and the Keiser Prize in English for Classical Performance (2020). A collection of her work can be found at the Instagram account @theabstractlando.