Assembly
Atlanta, Georgia | March 2024 – April 2025
Comprised of 33 convex mirrors arranged in an arc on the lawn of the Druid Hills
Presbyterian Church, Assembly serves to alter passersby’s perceptions of self
and place. Audiences are invited to engage with the multitude of their
reflections, observe obstructed and distorted views of their surroundings, and
interact with the physicality of the discs.
Manifesting an incongruous abundance of caution, the arrangement of security
mirrors allows for a variety of (sometimes conflicting) interpretations: a
constellation, a congregation, sentinels, reflections of self (fractured, self-
absorbed, confrontational), fear vs. protection, presence vs. absence, security,
authority, and community. The year-long public installation commissioned by the
Druid Hills Presbyterian Church is intended to prompt discourse with the viewer’s
surroundings and perhaps among fellow observers. Located at 1026 Ponce De Leon Avenue, across the street from the Majestic Diner.
WELCOME
Athens, Georgia | June 2023 – August 2025
Comprised of 77 security cameras the 29-foot high installation spells the word “welcome” on the Georgia Museum of Art’s lobby wall. Tongue-in-cheek in its delivery, the oxymoronic concept of the installation is meant to be humorously confrontational in a disarming manner. The artwork addresses the general public’s complex relationship with security cameras— between providing a sense of safety and threatening to undermine privacy through invasive surveillance.
Support for the project came from the Georgia Museum of Art and the Athens Area Arts Council as well as by companies and individuals who donated cameras.
Piedmont Park Pictograms
Atlanta, Georgia | June 2021 – present
These restroom doors located in Piedmont Park feature pictograms collected throughout the world that incorporate diverse design standards and cultural signifiers. For this installation, color has been added to reflect a broader spectrum of gender identities.
Blandtown Banners
Atlanta, Georgia | March 10 – May 7, 2021
Agitprop banners are displayed along the Watershed Reservoir fence on Howell Mill Road and Huff Road in Blandtown on Atlanta’s westside.
Blandtown Banners features high-contrast photographs of Blandtown landmarks (former and remaining), infrastructure, and new construction projects that are accompanied by a word with the prefix “re”, offering up multiple interpretations through wordplay. Placed where traffic frequently backs up, my intent is to prompt a dialogue with viewers on Blandtown: its history, rapid development, and future. This program is supported by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs through a Neighborhood Arts Grant in collaboration with the Upper Westside Improvement District, Blandtown Neighborhood Association, and the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management. Photo credit: Alyssa Pointer
Phalanx
Raburn Gap, Georgia | August 2017 – present
The site-specific artwork, Phalanx, has been installed along a wooded trail at the Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia. Phalanx serves to demarcate a 45 yard section of the 35th parallel (Georgia – North Carolina border) with 17 round convex security mirrors. The intent of this permanent installation is to provide hikers with a meaningful yet absurd encounter with a remote section of that border. The configuration of shield-like security mirrors mimics the dot-dot-dot motif often used for the map symbol indicating a boundary. With its reflective medium, seasonal and weather conditions will continually alter its viewing. Turk was awarded the 2017 Site-Responsive Installation Fellowship at the Center to create the artwork. The project was supported by the Hambidge Travel Program trip to the Hudson Valley, New York.
Heart of Blandtown (hob)
Blandtown, Atlanta, Georgia | June 2017 – present
The façade of a large metal sign emblazoned with the phrase “Welcome to Heart of Blandtown” features a background image of an Indian-head test pattern, which was used from the late 1940’s to late 1970’s as a black and white television test pattern. Transmitted after television stations signed off for the night, the pattern indicated no programming was being broadcast. As this area of Blandtown adjusts its frequency and comes back on-the-air after most of the land was cleared, the objective of this artwork is to engage residents in a dialogue by reminding and/or informing them of the neighborhood’s name and history.
9’ x 11’ structure (5’ x 11’ façade), photocopy transfer, stabilized soil, acrylic paint and varnish on metal panels
Retraction
Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta, Georgia | 2015 – 2017
Retraction, a 35-foot paulownia tree wrapped with re-purposed bicycle inner-tubes, is a temporary sculpture located on the Beltline. This installation along with the accompanying sign invites audiences to increase their awareness of invasive species and their related issues. Retraction was in collaboration with Atlanta Botanical Garden, Trees Atlanta and Art on the BeltLine.
Invasive species tree, bicycle inner tubes, staples and signage, 35’ tall, 2015 – 2017, Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta Ga.
Apparitions
Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta, Georgia | 2013 – 2014
Apparitions was a temporary public art project funded by Atlanta Celebrates Photography and Art on the BeltLine. The installation references the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Atlanta and the city’s later destruction by fire with 5 different images of General William T. Sherman’s eyes imposed on the landscape. The intent of this installation was to engage audiences to reflect on the city’s progress and shortcomings since its destruction 150 years ago under the intimidating gaze of Sherman.
Look Away, Transparencies, Blank Billboards, wood, digital prints, five billboards ranging in size from 12’ x 20’ to 4’ x 8’, 2013 -2014, Atlanta BeltLine Atlanta Ga.
Misinformation
Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta, Georgia | 2010
Misinformation, a series of official looking way-finding signs featuring absurdly reconfigured maps of Atlanta, was part of Art on the BeltLine, a temporary public art installation along Atlanta’s BeltLine. Most major U.S. cities have a navigable river, lake, bay or ocean that define them. However, Atlanta, located atop the Eastern Continental Divide, is a city without any significant navigable water features. By taking the outline of other recognizable cities’ water features and inserting Atlanta’s street grid to scale within their framework, Turk created plausible yet incongruent maps for the public to ponder.
Digital print on sintra with wooden post, sign- 33” x 22”, height with post- 80” x 22” x 4”
