Surface is part of the Isomorphics series of drawings, collages, and artist’s books that represents the 11th phase of the Objects on My Dresser project, in which Rapoport used a series of found objects as an idiosyncratic rubric to explore her psyche.
Rapoport juxtaposed photocopied images of select objects with surface chemistry diagrams from the research of Gabor Somorjai, Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, which illustrated chemical models and concepts related to catalyzing reactions. The visual and conceptual relationship between these disparate domains is summed up in a single phrase printed on a color coded label, and a quotation from Rapoport’s recordings of her psychoanalytic conversations with collaborator Winefred DeVos. The structure of art piece was inspired by the book Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.
Surface, 1987. Marker, colored pencil, adhesive labels, photocopy, and color photocopy on paper, 8.5W x 11H inches.
This color edition is derived from an earlier, larger, wall-based version of Surface (1979) which uses multiple layers of paper and acetate to create a three-dimensional effect, calling attention to the depth of the surface of the work.
Surface, 1981. Photocopy and colored pencil on paper and acetate, 213.5W x 24H inches.