Shadow’d Wilds
MFA AC+D
Summary:
This series is part of an ongoing process of discovery and reciprocity with the land and living things. It is made in celebration of the beauty innate within living forms, and the wonder of being made of the same elements, both microscopic and vast. It is defined by the continual practice of staying in relation to these elements, to myself, and to the world.
I seek to expand this sense of awareness and transform associations with plant and animal life by working within the malleable realm of human perception and our undeniable interconnectedness with the natural world. I propose a unity - in both form and concept - between the corporeal, earth and body, and the celestial: insight, ephemeral phenomena, the mind and spirit.
Grounded in archetypal methods of weaving, building and shelter making, this work expands into concepts of light, and explores our long standing cultural dependence on sunlight and fire for survival, cultural development, sustenance, and navigation.
Today we are faced with new and urgent issues of survival; survival of species and ecosystems. It is time to look again to our innate connection with the natural world for solutions; for innovation, for an infallible gauge of balance, for a model of reciprocity and harmony. In return, we unify our own polarities and proceed as truly part of a larger whole.
Statement
In a balance between the material and the celestial, these sculptures embody a unity between human perception and the living forms of the natural world. In finding similarities in the patterns and shapes that span these realms, I intertwine and exchange them, creating new expressive possibilities. Materials are freed from customary expectations, welcoming the viewer to also experience a new paradigm - one where humans can embrace and draw upon their innate and long standing connection to the natural world.
