35 Pieces is a wall installation that includes 35 individual two-foot framed collages that make up a 10’ x 16’ piece. The work is accompanied by a movie, which represents the second piece in the film / collage series.
Each 24"x24” section is framed and placed behind glass. The work is made of mixed media like yarn, newspapers, wood, pieces of rug, and collages of photos. It includes varied narrative content that examines both Siegel’s personal life and natural history, and references scientists like Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
The 35 individual "cells" together constitute a movie set. The 9-minute movie is narrated by Alice Linder, and it features the film and animation of Stephen Blauweiss, and the photography of Douglas Baz. Music performed by acclaimed banjoist Bela Fleck and others accompanies Linder’s voice. The work has allusions to Siegel's outdoor works as well as his Wonderful Life series, which was created in 2002-2008. The film comments on various topics, including evolution, history, and consumerism: “I feel bad about all the shit we make. The computers, and phones, and tablets that we are all so addicted to, and through which we see the world.”
35 Pieces was shown at Cynthia Reeves Projects in North Adams, MA in 2017 as part of a solo exhibition and at the University of Florida in 2018. The work received the Award of Excellence at Canada Shorts Film Festival in 2017.
