When I talk I often stammer. To control this I quickly adapt and modify the language I use, how its delivered. An inappropriate word requires the correct enunciation to get across the correct meaning. Without consciously realising this, my speech patterns have filtered into my art practice. What I present is often purposefully lateral to what is being represented; to encompass something by the description without naming it explicitly. The act of obfuscation helps to widen the gap between two concepts to hopefully allow the viewer access. Within sculpture I have been questioning the status of objects and object-making, alongside questioning my own creative process.
The physical appearance of my work is a very specific. Even when an idea require nothing, an implicit aesthetic does exist which I am constantly think about. In this sense my work becomes virtual, not necessarily holding any actual space. This distinction is one particular area I need to investigate. In the past I have not had the courage to make work which is entirely conceptual driven. The presentational aspects become difficult. A small project on suburban palm trees is an example of this.
With speech, I’m forced to make constant decisions to balance what I want to say, and what I am capable of saying. When forming meaningful statements, this instantaneous disintegration and creation of phrases, sentences and words has prompted the desire to unravel the hierarchy between image and object. My art work can often function as a description of this fissure. When transforming one state into another, there is a certain conceptual breakdown. The pressure exerted in the translation is a way of forcing their loaded associations to implode. Although I constantly fail at this, I try to reflect this operation. If possible meanings in my work appear hidden; they too easily fluctuate, its that the pieces reflect the functions of a switch or counterpoint.
Although it can be hard to recognise, the way in which I actually make work is important to me. The simplicity or lightness of touch in the execution of work is a very specific decision. The piece Teach me all I need to know is an example of this. There is also an aspiration for the work to ascend from being purely static (as an object or image), but not so active as to become gesture. The Flagellant was to me a dead, useless art object, made from a mundane action. When placed on a projector the transference of states occurred; horizontal to vertical, object to image, static to active. The friction created helped to complete the work.
Moving on from the object, the next logical step is to begin examining ideas of landscape dimensionality. Installation work which uses the idea of an imaginary space or framed space could be useful. My work with basic 3D spaces has led to me to believing there is something worth investigating. Filmic, stage and virtual spaces for the setting of a work could be a way to move these ideas further.
The problem of disassociation between context and object is something which I try to tackle. This can become a barrier, a puzzle which I need to investigate further.Creating an artwork inside of a joke or within a comedic context can be useful to open up this problem not just to the artist but also to viewer e.g. Serenading a Stone and Lettuce Renaissance By trying to reduce the number of elements or components that make up the finished piece I’m attempting to open up the work. This does not always succeed.
The sources of my work are seemingly disparate. I have a huge array of esoteric sources, focusing on more cultural themes than historical. The internet has allowed the possibilities of cross-fertilisation, breaking apart the significance of all involved. Kitsch and popular culture have a habit of surfacing in my art practice. The highly subjective nature of kitsch, the mysteries and subjective nature of its categorization I believe can act as an allegory for the changing nature of fine art, with its formal/conceptual issues. Making art which is either steeped in kitsch or contains its elements, holds significant meaning for me.
Although my practice draws upon sources outside of art, its focus is internal. There are other artists whose work particularly fascinates me. The satirical nature of Rodney Graham’s work. To not limit itself, its serious presentation is in fact it’s most amusing. The atmospheric quality Enrico David’s Ultrapaste. The overlapping of installation and 2D graphics to create a physical panoramic projection. I find obscure references to primitive figuration particularly intriguing.
From interests in drawing, illustration, computer games and posters, there is a strong graphical element to my work. As a predominantly visual person, any art work I make tends to have a strong visual presence. Some of my main concerns stem from the potent uses of image, and the problems they cause for fine art. Considering image, object and space, its the spark of conversation between them, how they operate alone and together which really fuels my art work.
