It is only in a state of openness and vulnerability that we can allow ourselves to feel deeply with one another, to truly participate, and to connect. My work creates an intimate, playful environment that, through a participative aesthetic experience, can spark recognition of Being–the profound and mysterious truth of human beings that must be felt, believed in, and undergone. I combine the familiarity and comfort of objects such as quilts and furniture forms with the uncertainty and vulnerability of encountering another person in small, intimate spaces. This facilitates recognition of Being by offering people the opportunity to undergo one another–to see past otherness and understand the profound connectedness of human beings through Being. Occupying these spaces requires that people be open and, as a result, vulnerable. By evoking a sense of wonderment and playfulness, I want to push people to engage with one another on a level that requires stepping out of their comfort zone.
These spaces are built to be occupied, interacted with, and shared. The act of crawling into a small, unfamiliar space can be uncomfortable, especially in a gallery setting. Through the use of textile elements such as quilts and pillows and other found objects usually associated with comfort and safety, I want to create a disarming environment in which viewers are willing to participate with one another in an exploration of the space. Anne Hamilton is an artist whose work has been a major influence on my own. She creates an experience for viewers by creating interactive, often overwhelming environments that connect people with one another through interaction with the space. Using handwritten notes, scribbles, and scraps, my imagery exists as raw, intimate remnants of personhood. Every mark becomes a unique artifact of a moment, of an individual, and of Being. The use of repetition of tic marks are a representation of tedium, attention, and the care of the other through evidence of the hand. This contributes to a sense of awe and a felt connection to the maker of those marks. Textile work, woodworking, and printmaking are all processes that possess a degree of physicality and even tedium that brings a more acute awareness of human effort to the forefront.
My use of furniture forms furthers this sense of connection as they express the careful involvement of an individual’s time and craft. I exploit the intimacy that arises from the way that a piece of furniture is experienced by a viewer who relates both to its function and to their own past experiences of furniture. Though no two people will relate to these spaces in the same way, I want the relation to invoke a greater sense of receptivity to one another.
These spaces are built to be occupied, interacted with, and shared. The act of crawling into a small, unfamiliar space can be uncomfortable, especially in a gallery setting. Through the use of textile elements such as quilts and pillows and other found objects usually associated with comfort and safety, I want to create a disarming environment in which viewers are willing to participate with one another in an exploration of the space. Anne Hamilton is an artist whose work has been a major influence on my own. She creates an experience for viewers by creating interactive, often overwhelming environments that connect people with one another through interaction with the space. Using handwritten notes, scribbles, and scraps, my imagery exists as raw, intimate remnants of personhood. Every mark becomes a unique artifact of a moment, of an individual, and of Being. The use of repetition of tic marks are a representation of tedium, attention, and the care of the other through evidence of the hand. This contributes to a sense of awe and a felt connection to the maker of those marks. Textile work, woodworking, and printmaking are all processes that possess a degree of physicality and even tedium that brings a more acute awareness of human effort to the forefront.
My use of furniture forms furthers this sense of connection as they express the careful involvement of an individual’s time and craft. I exploit the intimacy that arises from the way that a piece of furniture is experienced by a viewer who relates both to its function and to their own past experiences of furniture. Though no two people will relate to these spaces in the same way, I want the relation to invoke a greater sense of receptivity to one another.