99 cent bubble from Kimberlee Koym-Murteira on Vimeo.

99¢ BUBBLE 2008

CURATOR STATEMENT BY CHRISTIAN FROCK

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In this site-specific collaboration with Invisible Venue, Kimberlee Koym-Murteira draws inspiration from the new 99¢ store down the street from the project space. Something of a phenomenon when it first opened to the public in 2007, this store is the only clean, well-lit market in the immediate area that offers local residents the opportunity to purchase inexpensive house wares, cleaning supplies, and basic staples, such as milk.

Though the store offers a desirable alternative to the corner liquor stores that are outlying territory for drug dealers in West Oakland—lines formed around the block during the grand opening—the products themselves present a different set of concerns, such as the toxicity of their make-up to both the individuals who use them and the environment in general.

Kimberlee Koym-Murteira is largely concerned with everyday rituals and domestic settings. In "99¢ Bubble" Koym-Murteira has combined various products purchased from the dollar store, such as a popular cleaning agent and scrubbing sponges, to create a dynamic mixed-media installation that visually implements bubbling liquids, streaming video, and vividly colored plastic housewares. Her larger body of work is variously rooted in new media, sculpture and installation through the combination of household objects with ephemera such as fumes, bubbles, and light.

SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION 99cent BUBBLE

COMMISSIONED BY THE INVISIBLE VENUE

A SITE-SPECIFIC PROJECT THAT QUESTIONS WHY WE ACCEPT TOXIC INGREDIENTS BEING SOLD IN POOR COMMUNITIES

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These small-scale kinetic sculptures are from a series called 99¢ Bubble, which began as I built a site-specific installation in West Oakland. I shopped for all of my materials at one of the only stores to be found in the neighborhood, the 99¢ store. I am both excited and horrified by on sale there. They charge my consumerist energy as my dollar has more power, but the toxicity of the products and their throw away nature is of course environmentally extremely problematic. In my installation, I included a list of toxic ingredients, common constituents of shampoos and cleaners. Although I actually use non-toxic children’s bubbles as my fluid, I hope the smell, contents list, and color of the liquid cause viewers to wonder about the ingredients.