Step inside North Miami’s Museum Of Contemporary Art for an exhibition that’s hopeful and inspirational but also a cautionary tale about protecting South Florida’s aquatic landscape. It’s called "Tracing the Red Thread" and its creator chose that name for a specific reason.
"There's an ancient about thesis ,thesis was going to go through a labyrinth and try and kill the mentor to save her life. She gave him a red string so he can mark his way and find his way out of the labyrinth, so for me that's kind of a search for solutions, which is what this show is about," says Mira Lehr, Distinguished Artist.
Each room of the museum-wide exhibit has a different theme, like the Invisible City Spotlighting Endangered Coral and Beneath the Surface which takes on multiple meanings.
"I have jellyfish that you'll see they reflect and they create shadows on the floor and on the walls. You feel like you're in another universe because the ocean is a big mystery. It's our next big world to explore. I had a fabricator who put it together for me and we decided for it to be sturdy, we put steel rods through the wider strips of the mangrove ropes then we sprayed it and we burned it to make it stiffer," explains Lehr.
Another impressive piece is this 40-foot painting which presented its own set of challenges.
"That was done with panels, individual panels and I could never see the thing all together, that is composed of burned fuses that I ignite and it's wild to see it because it is very very very dramatic and I use a lot of gunpowder for some of the imagery on the bottom of it," explains Lehr.
MOCA will feature "Tracing the Red Thread" through November 4th, for more information go toMOCAnomi.org and miralehr.com.
