Beyond The Rainbow Page — FLETCHER WILLIAMS III

Beyond the rainbow, 2016

Cannon St. Arts Center
Charleston, South Carolina

About the Work

Beyond the Rainbow presents a fictional neighborhood composed of house sculptures, wall-based works, and a central playground installation. The title references Rainbow Row, a series of brightly painted historic homes along East Bay Street in Charleston. The exhibition draws from Williams’ familiarity with North Charleston and surrounding areas. In contrast to the preserved and highly visible architecture of Rainbow Row, the work focuses on residential areas elsewhere in the city.

Each work is based on homes within Charleston and North Charleston neighborhoods. The sculptures are constructed as assemblages of reclaimed wood, palm fronds, handwoven palmetto roses, roofing shingles, and painted paper. The materials are used for their physical and visual qualities, reflecting the surfaces and structures of the homes themselves. Palmetto roses—traditionally handcrafted in Charleston—are incorporated alongside roofing and building materials, placing decorative and utilitarian elements in direct relation. Some house facades are covered with black-and-white “moss” paintings applied directly to the structures, turning the surfaces into images of the surrounding landscape. The black square paintings are composed of torn roofing shingles and latex paint, referencing the appearance of hanging moss while alluding to the series of small homes.

At the center of the installation is a playground titled Little Child Runnin’ Wild, referencing the song by Curtis Mayfield. The structure is painted with dark red automotive paint and metal flake. The spring rides, original to the 1960s, have been restored and repainted in bright colors. The playground sits on a bed of moss and introduces color and movement within the installation. It is surrounded by densely composed drawings depicting scenes of violence, along with the house sculptures.

In addition to the houses, Williams includes sculptures that further deconstruct the form of the home. These works use wood, rebar, and palm fronds to suggest structure without forming complete architectural objects. In one work, palm fronds are compressed within a wooden frame bound by rebar; in another, a form resembling a clothesline is reduced to its structural elements. Across the exhibition, materials and forms register cycles of use and decline, where surfaces show accumulation, alteration, and wear over time.