This work dives into the familiar scramble to find calm when chaos is swirling around us, and the go-to humor we call on to brighten the moment or lighten the load. So often we feel steady, comfortable, in control, and then the lights go out, a wave comes—  these moments knock us over, forcing us to push through, reset the meter to reset, and start from the beginning. We make jokes to ease the tension and make it through the turbulence that comes our way. It’s lightheartedness that makes disaster taste better— like tension dipped in a little fun, laughter covered anxiety, and a stress ball coated with bright rainbow sprinkles. It hurts so good. Pumphrey’s work dives into these moments with playfulness, and explores the silliness we need in a chaotic world, and the rollercoasters we all ride between our ears.

Merry-go-round explores the familiar and constant teeter-totter between control and chaos. We feel steady, level-headed, comfortable — and then something shifts, and we scramble to grab the wheel. The floor keeps spinning. We blink through blurriness, fight the dizziness, and move to find our footing. Again, the meter resets. We ping-pong between these moments, time and time again. It’s a dance we know the moves to, a game of repetition we constantly play. Again and again, we ease the tension and harness the commotion. Over and over and over again, we get on and off the carousel.

Five More Minutes, explores the anxiety, excitement, panic, and even monotony that comes from just five more minutes. Calm shifts to chaos and seconds fly by. Time drags on and you push further into the unknown. Five more minutes. Stay here for just five more minutes. You have five more minutes. You still have five more minutes. Wait, just five more minutes. In five more minutes. Please, just five more minutes. Only five more minutes. Five more minutes. 

Rearranging Rooms was on view at Project 1628 in Baltimore, MD.  Nov 12, 2017 - Jan 4, 2018.