My study of contemporary art’s role in society started with Duet (2007), an installation built to play a deconstructed violin left unfinished by the death of my grandfather, a violin-maker. This began my line of questioning about the many potential interruptions in any project, and as I studied the effects of post-modernity I discovered ever-shortening attention spans and an ever-increasing breadth of information, leaving many with the impression of the world as unintelligibly chaotic. A recent sculpture of mine, Saturated Identity Dissociation (2010), reaches into the lasting psychological effects of this phenomenon, and many of my works reflect a healing process through the careful study of my environment as I seek to further understand and compensate for my own biases and neuroses. Occasionally this compensation requires parsimony in the presentation of directly visible information, while using bold and unusual aesthetic choices with a theatrical sense of intrigue to seduce the viewer into closer examination, such as sparse colored lighting. This approach can stimulate deeper personal identification, which develops a more complex relationship between the viewer and the object.
The most important aspect of each of my recent works is their concept, which defines their form. Because of this, my work includes animation, film, painting, drawing and photography, and my sculpture follows many different processes including 3d scanned plasteline objects manipulated and digitally fabricated into wood, plastic, plaster, foam or metal; hand and machine-carved wood and stone, hand and computer controlled plasma-cut steel, and many others. Each material and process is carefully chosen to emphasize the concept.
My future interests are in immersive environments, which allow the freedom of loose narrative structures and a sort of collaboration with the viewers in the creation of their experience. I intend to look closely at the biases of brands and contexts as subjects to be considered in relation to both the white cube and alternative spaces. I find it challenging for me to create a body of work outside the sculptural context I am used to and look forward to the critical input this experience will have on my work.
