Preview, Kendall Messick, The Projectionist, Nov 7 - Nov 26, 2007

The Projectionist Exhibition Preview
Kendall Messick

Artist Statement

You never know what people have in their basements. It’s not just a cliché, it's a reality; a reality for Gordon Brinckle who has fulfilled his lifelong dream of owning and operating an authentic, fully operational movie palace by building it in his basement.

Brinckle has described himself as a loner and his reluctance to draw attention to himself caused the mere existence of his “Shalimar Theatre” to be largely unknown. In 1969 my family moved into the house across the street from the Brinckles. I managed to see the theater once when I was a young boy. A vague memory of something wonderful led me to return in December 2001. Like an usher, he escorted me down the basement staircase that day and everywhere I looked there were intricate details in the design and decoration of the theater that spoke of Gordon’s obsession. The drapes, valances, movie theater paraphernalia and original painting techniques combined with elements such as Gordon’s little Kimball organ at the base of the stage were all evidence of an artistic vision that was uniquely original.

This visit convinced me that the story of Gordon and his theater was one that I needed to share. When I initially suggested the idea of the project to Gordon, he was immediately enthusiastic. He revealed to me that his greatest fear in recent years had been what would happen to the Shalimar after he was gone. These concerns have been replaced by excitement as Gordon has seen this project, his dream, come together.

Since I first began making pictures and constructing exhibitions, I have sought to hold onto someone, someplace or something that might without warning be gone or forever changed. Not surprisingly, a tremendous sense of urgency propels my work with an aging population that is rapidly disappearing.

My ongoing body of work consists of constructed installations of still photography, film, video and an ever evolving assemblage of two and three-dimensional media to tell stories. Each exhibition is intended to transcend the documentary chronicling of human experience culminating in a reflection on larger themes of acceptance, intimacy, the nature of memory, and the historical significance of individuals typically overlooked. In this work, I seek to reveal universal truths that surface through the intimate experiences of the individual.

I have found that my earliest experiences as a child have played a significant role in my choices of projects, subject and stories. I was consistently bullied by my peer group during my formative years. This led me to have the experience of the “other” and I turned inward, withdrawing from my peers and spending significantly more time with elders. It was during these years that I honed an ability to listen and developed a fascination with the storytelling of individuals of advanced age. The painful experience of isolation from my peers led to my interest in exploring and revealing the inner lives of overlooked or marginalized individuals that mainstream society would never otherwise know. Gordon Brinckle is one such person.

In particular, discrimination against the elderly is well documented in the United States. This discrimination takes many forms ranging from the subtle to the overt from the unintentional to the intentional. Many individuals of advanced age are simply not engaged in conversation or the subjects of our interest or attention. In The Projectionist, I am exploring and questioning what we see versus what we don’t see; what we choose to see versus what we don’t choose to see. Would we take to time to engage Gordon Brinckle in conversation if we were a random visitor to his home opening up the possibility to discover his fantasy world contained in the basement? Or would we simply observe him and his wife’s deteriorating health and feel bad for their situation and daily routine that could best be described as sedentary, mundane and predictable? What other stories or self-created worlds are we missing by not engaging our elders?

I believe that Gordon Brinckle can be an inspiration to all of us for his passion and commitment to realize his lifelong dream of preserving the theatrical experience of an earlier era. But he also can serve as an example of an individual like so many others who could have easily been overlooked had we not taken the time to pay attention and listen.


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