Danner Washburn | Effigy : Hemric

Effigy : Hemric envisions a parallel existence for a living tobacco farmer in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina. This region where tobacco growth production and sales once thrived was fractured by the deregulation of the market leaving many of its farmers destitute. This devastating reality experienced by the region as a whole led Danner Washburn (b. 1994 North Carolina) to investigate the lives of various tobacco farmers that endured this “apocalypse.”

Rather than signifying the end of something here “apocalypse” represents a shift in existence. Washburn became interested in what elements and psychologies of the culture remained and changed as a result of this undoing. While some farmers abandoned the trade others such as Hemric adjusted and now sustain their practice through the support of government payments. The farmers adapted mentally as well. In efforts of survival certain attitudes were fortified within the Yadkin Valley such as the distrust of outsiders. This notion of hiding or insularity still pervades the region camouflaging the impact actually withstood.

Washburn’s immersive installation Effigy : Hemric uncovers these hidden realities by imagining how this particular farmer’s lived experiences traumas beliefs and traditions would manifest in a physical space. To construct this domestic shelter Washburn scavenged the local landscape—its roadside piles woods and second-hand stores—for items that recall the culture and familiarities of the Yadkin Valley region. These objects both natural and manufactured were then transformed by the artist to recreate the intimate spaces of Hemric’s home. Characteristics of the shelter such as its size and layout as well as decorations and items placed within act as a visual language for the psychologies of Hemric. While these elements suggest economic position as well as social and political contexts Washburn’s primary interest is how they reflect a person’s attempts to maintain their humanity despite the significant loss and change they have endured. Through this physical representation of a person’s identity and intrapersonal intricacies Washburn asks us to consider how we are meant to cope evolve and survive when destabilized and removed from our realities.