Girls and Horses,
nine-channel video
installation, 1996
"The ability to control an animal so much bigger than herself gave her a sense of awe and wonderful power. It was, however, not only gratifying in a physical sense; the caring for, riding, and showing of the horse also represented the mastery of a world that was completely mysterious to the uninitiated."
John E. Schowalter from the essay "Some Meanings of Being a Horsewoman," Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 1983, Vol. 38.
Texts:
 | Exhibition catalog, Kohler Arts Center |
| Inselmann, Andrea: "Up Downs." Exhibition brochure. John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. 1999. |
| Zingmagazine Project, Zingmagazine 3, 1997 |
| Qualls, Larry: "Five Video Artists." Performance Arts Journal No. 54, The Johns Hopkins University Press, September 1996. |
| Schwendener, Martha: Review of "Girls and Horses" at Chassie Post Gallery. Art Papers, May/June 1996. |
| Hess, Elizabeth: "It Takes a Village." Village Voice, 26 March 1996. |
| Halle, Howard: Review of "Girls and Horses" at Chassie Post Gallery. Time Out New York, 20 March 1996. |
Girls and Horses has been presented:
| Castle Gallery, College of New Rochelle, New York, December 8, 2002 - March 2, 2003, |
| Nexus Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia, January 2000, |
| John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. January, 1999, |
| Vantaa City Museum, Finland (Part of Family/PostFamily) in 1998, |
| Chassie Post Gallery, 453 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013, in April 1996. |
[Click on images to enlarge]
|
 The
multi-media installation includes video monitors, still photography, and
wall-sized video projections. The elements work together to create an active
environment which allows complete immersion in Biggs' vision. |
 Many girls have experienced an infatuation with the horse. This romance
takes many forms, from early play, through fantasy and desire, and perhaps
to the act of riding. |
 The
horse, a symbol of beauty, power, freedom and magic, can be an object of
identification or serve as a protector. |
|
This
installation consists of three main elements: first, nine-year-old Amanda,
trotting on a large white horse, appears to circle the gallery. This startling
effect is achieved by rotating video projectors. |
 The
second element is a series of intimate looks at girls playing "horsey." |
 Eight
monitors present video loops: one shows a girl playing with a stick horse, |
 one
riding a coin operated horse, |
 one shows three
girls on a merry-go-round, and five loops show girls playing horsey with a parent. |
 The
third element is a large scale color photograph of a girl in her bedroom. The
girl's favorite possessions surround her, including a plastic horse collection,
horse show ribbons, saddle, and her diary. The bedroom is a shrine to the horse,
and is evidence of girls' search for self-definition.
|
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