“Jessica would talk to a hole in the wall,” spoke the hole of an assaulting human’s face so laced with vitriolic santorum toward Calvello, so devoid of compassion and, apparently, douching materials, that Calvello escaped with no other option but to seek out companionship with an actual hole. After years of crushing heartache caused by real humans, could a relationship with an actual hole provide the comfort and humanity she so desired? Could she express herself to a hole? Would it listen? Would it understand her? Would a hole open up to her?
To be clear, Calvello, like most, craves relationships with humans and believes communication to be their most vital component. Some would point to her tendency toward over-communication, a propensity she herself acknowledges and has wrangled with since birth. Given the direct correlation between functional relationships and effective communication, Calvello has spent her life clarifying herself ad infinitum in an effort to keep relationships from falling down the rabbit hole. And the myopic “hole in the wall” retort exposes the prolapsed inability of some to grasp the critical nature of Calvello’s desire to explain herself, even if in excess: her fear of losing people.
“The Hole Truth…and Nothing Butt” is an ongoing collection of photography depicting Calvello in a series of interactions with holes in various locations. Every photo depicts an aftermath of her over-communication. The piece explores the efficacy of replacing living, breathing humans with whom she is emotionally invested with a hole. Is a hole – a hollow space – equal to, less than, orgreater than a person? Is Calvello better off in such a cavernous relationship? Have humans proven to demonstrate more profound hollowness? Does she over-communicate or do others under-listen? Must others change? Or must Calvello? Is there a middle ground? The hole may hold the truth.
Editor’s Note: Calvello declined to write this description herself as it would have been over-communicated.
