Artist Statement
The work I create references ambiguous biological life unveiling hidden patterns of intelligent communication. From microscopic cellular organisms, to diverse plant life, to amphibious egg sacks, I develop an array of indistinctly life like forms. I raise questions about the innate connection between humankind’s perception and one’s natural environment in a world where communication has become vital for survival. Generating a sensory experience my sculptural forms and functional vessels are inspired by illusion as a form of communication from nature.
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Working with a combination of paper clay and translucent porcelain, I slip cast, throw, and handbuild spherical forms that I sculpt together with a web like skin. On the insides of the forms I cut patterns into the clay that I find from naturally forming sources of communication such as tree roots, moth wings, and zebra stripes. Once fired I use a variety of colored enamels to give the forms value, dimension, and color. By experimenting with lighting, color, and sensors I invite interaction and wonder. The forms lay inactive until one initiates communication through approach or sound. The interaction triggers hidden LED lights to glow and allows the concealed patterns to reveal itself expressing its ability to communicate.
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My work examines the overlooked essence of nature as a result of human constructed environments. I question the future relationship that humankind will have with the natural world. Through my work I represent the symbiotic communication occurring between humankind and botanical life. Building a depiction of nature’s intelligence, I generate a sublime sense of illusion that humankind can experience in naturally forming environments.