I am at my best when I’m alone is the title of Austin College graduate Matthew Whitenack’s recent installation at Conduit Gallery, which ran from September 12 through October 10, 2009.

He presents us with a well built, substantial (approximately 10 foot) cube. It is, in some respects, a gallery within a gallery. Whitenack, the son of Conduit gallery owner Nancy Whitenack, grew up surrounded by art, artists and the machinations of the art world on a daily basis. So, one might ask, what baggage or privilege (if any) does this biography engender?

The cube is open on one side with two stair steps leading the way in. On the left wall are two shelves bearing a terracotta Navajo storyteller figure on one and a ceramic item that resembles an ear on the other. On this same wall is a gestural drawing overlayed by a lozenge of sheetrock. On the back wall is affixed a worn metal box that turns out to be an audio device with headphones attached through which one hears three different channels of recorded ambient noise. Next to the box is a window comprised of four panes. Rear screen projection illuminates the individual panes with scenes from the installation of the space plus some Houdini moves by the artist. On the right wall is a photograph of bookshelves filled with spines displaying titles concerning history.

Additionally, there are two small openings cut out of the structure with a metal grip bar beside each. One is in the ceiling above the window, the other is near the floor just below the drawing, like a pet door. In the video, Whitenack can be seen entering and exiting these openings. A large square section of the floor has been removed and replaced by a metal panel. There is a sawzall leaning in one corner. It is apparent that proper construction is important here, but with allocation for improvising.

The whole reads as a piece of theater. With the help of posted information, one discerns the provenance of the items in the cube. They belong to the aforementioned figures of influence as does some of the very construction material. But it is the ambiguity and elegance of the installation that provide a scene for our musing on the creative process, an alchemy that is part craft and part magic. We are reminded of the anxieties as well as benefits of influence (thus the title I presume) plus the real and virtual histories of our being.