Lewis Nordan remembers in his memoir Boy With Loaded Gun. Several shows presently on view do just that, transforming usually lackluster spaces into arenas where magic is possible. Ralston has absolutely taken over her space, filling it floor to ceiling with a grove of fresh-leaved bamboo stalks she harvested herself. Wrapped around the base of each bamboo stalk is an article of red clothing, and this maelstrom of red clothes strewn on the floor suggests either a profound life-source or the aftermath of a massacre. Lights are turned down low, and red bulbs cast eerie light on some sections of the installation.
White banners line the gallery walls behind the bamboo.
Strange shadows are cast on the banners, and we are drawn to a tight corridor behind the banners where we see the objects casting these shadows - exquisite marionettes made by the artist. We become part of the shadow play. Bringing nature into an unlikely indoor arena, she creates a garden-like space that somehow evokes travel within the body. Little banners hang from the bamboo stalks - unrolled, they reveal personal associations with bodily sensations. The result is a poetic, mysterious visual experience as we catch glimmers of jewel colors and suspended movement and are forced to figure out just exactly what it is we are looking at.