set in place (mis en place), acrylic ink on matte, mineral-infused wall surface 43,000 square inches, 200-hour total duration, drawn from September- November 2024

set in place (mis en place) immerses viewers in a meditative exploration of time, memory, and presence through the act of drawing. The title, referencing both the spatial-temporal nature of the work and the culinary discipline of "mise en place," highlights the artist’s meticulous system of preparation and intention. Much like a chef carefully arranges ingredients before cooking, Townsend reduces the act of drawing to its simplest gestures, allowing complexity to emerge naturally from precision.

set in place (mis en place) is organized by Tiffany Meesha Thompson, Executive Director of Petrichor Projects and on view at the café, Oil on Linen within the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

Over the course of 200 hours, golden-ochre dots accumulate across a dark, gray wall. Each dot— a fraction of an inch in diameter and a fraction of a second in duration—marks a single physical and temporal event. As these dots accumulate, they form a rhythmic, topographical landscape, where the act of drawing is transformed into a durational performance. Each mark is a record of time and presence, deposited onto the surface of the café wall.

As the work evolves, it becomes a visual chronicle of moments—each dot a fleeting trace, a micro-record of presence within the café. In a work of this scale and duration,  process is laid bare, performed in full view, its layered marks coalescing into a shared memory, quietly resonating with the passage of time. For me this work is a conceptual echo of the culinary mise en place, where both practices hinge on systemization, preparation and temporality. Just as a meal is consumed,  this drawing is fated to be reclaimed at the close of the exhibition. set in place (mis en place) becomes a meditation, embodying the tension between the present moment of creation and its inevitable erasure.