INSTALLATION AND SCULPTURE
OBJECTS OF SOLACE
This body of work is material narrative of the past two and a half years. Prompted by the daily practice of gathering and collecting, these objects have brought temporary solace, pleasure and distraction during a time of isolation and loss. Each found entity marked an experience that lingered beyond the first encounter. This brief, intuitive meeting provided engagement with the object, offering cues to material study.
Rail clips, an eye hook, a piece of a cast iron gate, banana tree buds and flowers were collected and curated for OBJECTS OF SOLACE. Photography, screen printing, drawing and assemblage serve as a foundation in the making of this body of work. The fusion of the ephemeral and human made refuse supplied a forum for thought regarding the predominant elements of these components.
The common thread realized during the making of this body of work is twofold. The human made objects are all persistent and somewhat indestructible. The natural aspects are evanescent and fragile.
Combining these attributes as assemblage and visual work speak to the collective way in which humankind has existed during the past two years. Whether it is a personal life passage or a global concern or tragedy, we, as a society are in constant state of processing our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual reactions to the influx of information.
Making and exhibiting this work creates a structure for mechanisms of coping personally as well as providing a forum to function within the community at large. The ideas of safe keeping and impermanence are felt throughout the work. Repetition and multiples serve to translate these concepts.
Material choice and varied mark making further reflect the investigation of concepts. Process based format coupled with assemblage coalesce the objects, materials and ideas to create a new accord.
OBJECTS OF SOLACE is dedicated to my son, Jackson and all individuals suffering from mental illness, addiction, poverty, social, injustice, climate change and war.
7x7
SEVEN DAYS X SEVEN WEEKS is about the ritual of mourning as an experience of everyday life. Whether it is a personal life passage or a global issue or tragedy, we, as a society, are in a constant state of processing our emotional, intellectual and spiritual reactions to the influx of information. Making and exhibiting art provides structure for this ritual of mourning, personally, as well as providing a forum to function within the community at large.
Seeking a balance between private and public processes related to rituals of mourning, this work was created to engage the viewer. Borrowing concepts from Tibetan Buddhist mourning traditions, forty-nine steel mesh discs were fabricated and enameled. The discs represent the seven days times seven weeks of ritualized mourning honored by this sect of Buddhism. The work is installed to convey this metaphor.
The concept of impermanence, which is integral to all Buddhist teachings, is the guiding principle of SEVEN DAYS X SEVEN WEEKS. Impermanence is defined as the constant change or flux of our human experience. We react to these changes daily without much thought. With this work, I invite the viewer to see each disc as a pause, an acknowledgement, a moment of contemplation and a letting go.
Addendum: SEVEN DAYS X SEVEN WEEKS was first shown at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio in June of 2016. The weekend of the opening at TSC coincided with the weekend where forty-nine people lost their lives at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. This piece will be forever dedicated to those who lost their lives on June 12, 2016.
Event of thread
EVENT OF A THREAD is an exploration into the matrilineal tradition of weaving. This sculpture investigates the origin of gendered art making and seeks to dismantle established institutional boundaries. Materials chosen for EVENT OF A THREAD are hand spun paper thread, a loom fabricated from found steel, and encaustic. Distortion of the loom and subsequent weavings question established art making confines. Through coalescing of materials, ideas and process, this sculpture provides a refuge for the rebuilding of my contemporary art practice.
To have
TO HAVE speaks of the ritual of mourning as an experience of everyday life. Whether it is a personal life passage or a global issue or tragedy, we as a society are in a constant state of processing our emotional, intellectual and spiritual reactions to the influx of information. This work is a reflection of my own subjectivity. Through the process of making, this subjectivity is transfigured into a fresh reality for the viewer. Making and exhibiting this work creates a structure for the ritual of mourning, personally as well as providing a forum to function within the community at large. The elements of TO HAVE are models of intimacy signifying “containers” for material study, the objects found, and the historical allowance I have gained from research. The work has a collage format with the intention of coalescing materials, objects and ideas into a unified entity.
Effluence & grid study
EFFLUENCE & GRID STUDY are installations that explore the concept and materiality of containment. This containment is relative to observations made within a cultural, societal, anthropological, psychological and historical context. For containment to exist in any form, there must be a system of support in place. Repetition, the use of multiples and deviations within the structural format serve to transform and translate the restrictions created by containment.
Utilization of a variety of process-based techniques such as electro forming, needlework, and screen printing support the development of these works. Material choice and mark making further reflect the investigation of the concept of containment. The underlying foundation for the installations is a collage format used with the intention of coalescing materials, objects, process and ideas to create a new accord.