BATTLE FOR THE SWEETLANDS

This new window installation, titled “Battle for the Sweetlands,” is by sisters Nicole Duennebier and Caitlin Duennebier and consists of three dioramas, one set behind each pane of glass in the window.

The sisters are placing their own narrative on the traditional battlefield diorama. The “Sweetlands” in question are in reference to Caitlin Duennebier’s 2013 project “Journey to Candied Mountain,” in which the region was first discovered. Now, years later, the territory is embroiled in a violent turf-war among recent settlers. The center diorama “Massacre near Gumdrop Mountain” depicts these shirtless bandits, delirious with sugar and greed, fighting for the rich bounty of the mountain. Quieter scenes accompany the battle; a lonely camp in the Licorice forest in which we find the settlers vulnerable to the candied creatures that reside there. And a portrayal of the crazed message in the stars which appeared before General Gingersnap, and led to the eventual conflict at Gumdrop Mountain.

Caitlin Duennebier received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography at Massachusetts College of Art & Design in 2009 and studied on scholarship at London University of Arts. Duennebier lived in London between 2009-2014 where OH PAPA was created. She currently lives and works in Boston, MA USA. www.ohpapa.co.uk/

Nicole Duennebier received her Bachelor in Fine Arts at Maine College of Art with a major in painting. Her BFA thesis work was most influenced by research about the coastal ecosystems of Maine. In 2006, she was awarded the Monhegan Island Artists Residency. On the island she continued her work with sea life. Duennebier saw a natural connection between the darkness and intricacy of undersea regions and the aesthetic of 16th century Dutch still-life painting. In 2008 she moved to Boston. She is currently exhibiting with the 13FOREST gallery in Arlington, Massachusetts. http://www.nicoleduennebier.com/