First they study the enormous mound of household objects - shoes, hairbrushes, frying pans and so on - stacked loosely upon the gallery floor. Then they scan the gallery walls, papered with newspaper articles about real-life domestic-violence cases in which these objects have been used to harm or kill. Then visitors turn back to the mound, sobered, as if seeing the objects with new eyes.
"There is a sort of slow dawning on the viewer," says the center's curator of education, Jay Heuman, who has led several groups through the space. "It does kind of overwhelm at first impression. The visitors we've had have ended up speaking in hushed tones."
That's the power of a well-conceived art installation, which, unlike most paintings or sculptures, creates an experience that envelops the viewer. Installations often are large, multimedia works that fill an entire room, allowing artists to set atmosphere and explore issues in depth.
Doktorski created "Domestic Arsenal," first shown last year at Utah State University, as a meditation on spousal and child abuse. She found herself intrigued with the ironies of domestic violence, in which everyday objects become weapons and abuse occurs behind doors in homes that are supposed to be places of comfort and warmth.
In reading hundreds of articles about domestic-abuse cases, Doktorski was struck by the variety of items used by the perpetrators. So she began collecting them - not the actual items from police evidence lockers, but ones she picked up at thrift stores. Almost all of them found their way into "Domestic Arsenal."
The installation now contains an astounding 365 items, one for each day of the year. Among them are brooms, books, ropes, baseball bats, hockey sticks, cowboy boots, candlesticks, umbrellas, barbells, garden tools, fireplace pokers and TV remote controls.
Viewers will find such stereotypical objects as dinner plates and rolling pins. But it's the unexpected items that pack the most power: a Buzz Lightyear doll, bars of soap (used to wash out kids' mouths), a teddy bear (used to cover the faces of child sex-abuse victims), a toilet (used to dunk or drown victims), a candle (used to burn victims' hands) or even a backyard playhouse (used to lock up kids).
Sprinkled throughout the pile are four Bibles, because, yes, they've been wielded as clubs. At the bottom of the pile, anchoring the installation, is a bed. Anyone who was molested as a child won't need to ask why.
"These are ordinary objects. They're familiar. But [in this context] they become very menacing," says Doktorski, a professor of sculpture at USU. "You can find a [domestic-violence] article on almost all of these objects. And if there isn't one, there'll be one next week."
The mound of objects sits in a darkened rear gallery of the art center, creating a sinister atmosphere. Doktorski cast a handful of the items in bronze or ceramics. Many others are coated with dark metallic paint, lending the pile a sooty appearance, as if they are belongings rescued from a fire or even a flood. In this way, Doktorski emphasizes the quiet devastation wrought by violence within the home.
Reaction to "Domestic Arsenal," which also works as a memorial to victims of abuse, has been positive and intense.
"I've had people say, 'I'm so glad you have that [object] in there. Because that was used against me,' " Doktorski says. More curious, other viewers have seen objects in the mound that weren't there.
Six domestic-violence specialists from the state Division of Child and Family Services saw the installation at USU's Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art last spring and were so struck by the artwork that they wrote a letter to the museum director.
"It's another tool to bring awareness [of the issue]," says Maria Sandoval, one of the six and an Ogden-based domestic-violence therapist. "These objects are so benign by themselves. But when you see them all together like this, it's very impactful."
"Domestic Arsenal" will remain at the Salt Lake Art Center through May 30. After that, Doktorski hopes the installation will tour other states to open people's eyes about domestic violence in a way that statistics alone cannot.
"Art doesn't have the ability to change the world on its own. But it has the ability to incite dialogue and to move people and to maybe change the way they live," Doktorski says. "I want people to have an emotional response. My hope is that people will be moved by this and maybe walk away with a greater sense of responsibility."
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* BRANDON GRIGGS can be contacted at griggs@sltrib.com or 801-257-8689. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Exhibit, discussion
* EILEEN DOKTORSKI'S "Domestic Arsenal" is on display through May 30 in the Projects Gallery of the Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City. The center is open Tuesday to Saturday, and admission is free.
* IN CONJUNCTION WITH the installation, the center will host a free public panel discussion on domestic violence Wednesday at 7 p.m. For more information, call 801-328-4201 or visit www.slartcenter.org.
