The Accident is a mixed media installation by artist Elizabeth Withstandley. The installation is comprised of a series of photographic images and an accompanying audio loop. In this work, Withstandley explores the frankness of children and how they express their thoughts and emotions through words. Images of a child with a head injury are paired with “get well” cards from children who witnessed the accident. Audio of the victim’s recollection of events turns a seemingly tragic moment into a poignantly humorous observation.
Withstandley’s work has taken the form of conceptually based photographic series, film, video and installation. Exploring American culture through non-fiction and fictitious situations, the work explores self worth, ones’ position in society, and how we are defined as people with an emphasis on social norms and outcasts.
Withstandley studied photography at Pratt Institute and The University of Alabama. She is a co-founder of the not-for profit space, Locust Projects, in Miami, FL.
Her work has been exhibited at the Torrance Art Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; The Moore Space, Miami; Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami; The Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Tel Aviv Artists’ Studios, Israel; The Bass Museum, Miami; Cultural Center, Sao Paolo, Brazil, and many others.