2024 Work
Bachelor Fine Arts Final Show 2015
This body of work investigates the different realities that people live in and how those realities are considered and conveyed to others through conversation. I have always had a love for conversation, particularly those that reach a personal level. I have become increasingly aware of the differences in the way that people think, even those that seem similar, and how a sensitivity to these differences plays an important role in successful relations and outlook on life. This body of work portrays conversations about reality that have taken place, commentary on the conversations that don’t take place, and an invitation to the audience to participate in conversation. My work is not about elevating anyone’s particular thoughts over someone else’s, but rather provoking consideration of what it might be like to take a sip of someone else’s reality. The priority of this work is to create and foster consideration of the mechanisms of how we all occupy individual existence, through tangible representations in clay and other media.
To stimulate open dialogue I avoid predetermined categories, and seek fluid questions that allow interpretation according to a person’s unique ideas. This process sheds light on the priorities of both myself, through the questions I choose, and the interviewee through their responses. Actively listening to someone else talk about their life, personal ideas, and priorities promotes understanding and empathy, and simultaneously reduces ignorance, judgment, and hatred. The connection that happens and the empathy that results from breaking away from one’s own train of thought to consider someone else’s perspective is extremely important to me. As the artist, I intentionally create the context in which these conversations take place, but I also deliberately leave much room for the participant to alter the course of the conversation and let it evolve in whichever direction they choose to take it.
As a part of this investigation I am interested in technology-facilitated conversation and its implications. I create pieces that highlight the physicality of conversations that involve no physical contact and emphasize some of the unique characteristics of technology-based conversations. Other works explore conversations that do not happen, and the reasons for their absence.
My inspiration for this series is personally motivated, but I am also influenced by artists that are working with similar social commentary like Roberto Lugo, Holly Hannessian, Jenny Holzer, Frank Warren, Tillet Wright, and more. Visually, I respond very strongly to hanging forms that have an emphasis on tension, suspension, and weight. Inspiration has also come from research into the history of written language in clay, the etiquette of tea and rules for conversation, and modes of online discourse.
I make use of tea settings and the familiar ideas of delicacy and etiquette that accompany them to explore personal and potentially uncomfortable topics. The delicate nature of the work and the thinness of the vessels physically manifest that awkwardness. The ripped edges of the forms and the casual format of the text add to the raw nature of the original conversations and contrast with the expectations of proper tea. I am able to take casual conversations that might be forgotten and magnify them into a permanent state through the ceramic process, while still maintaining the delicate nature and ephemeral qualities of intimate and personal conversations. The installation is designed to draw the audience in on an intimate scale to discern the text, but simultaneously generate anxiety and awkwardness due to its fragile nature.
To stimulate open dialogue I avoid predetermined categories, and seek fluid questions that allow interpretation according to a person’s unique ideas. This process sheds light on the priorities of both myself, through the questions I choose, and the interviewee through their responses. Actively listening to someone else talk about their life, personal ideas, and priorities promotes understanding and empathy, and simultaneously reduces ignorance, judgment, and hatred. The connection that happens and the empathy that results from breaking away from one’s own train of thought to consider someone else’s perspective is extremely important to me. As the artist, I intentionally create the context in which these conversations take place, but I also deliberately leave much room for the participant to alter the course of the conversation and let it evolve in whichever direction they choose to take it.
As a part of this investigation I am interested in technology-facilitated conversation and its implications. I create pieces that highlight the physicality of conversations that involve no physical contact and emphasize some of the unique characteristics of technology-based conversations. Other works explore conversations that do not happen, and the reasons for their absence.
My inspiration for this series is personally motivated, but I am also influenced by artists that are working with similar social commentary like Roberto Lugo, Holly Hannessian, Jenny Holzer, Frank Warren, Tillet Wright, and more. Visually, I respond very strongly to hanging forms that have an emphasis on tension, suspension, and weight. Inspiration has also come from research into the history of written language in clay, the etiquette of tea and rules for conversation, and modes of online discourse.
I make use of tea settings and the familiar ideas of delicacy and etiquette that accompany them to explore personal and potentially uncomfortable topics. The delicate nature of the work and the thinness of the vessels physically manifest that awkwardness. The ripped edges of the forms and the casual format of the text add to the raw nature of the original conversations and contrast with the expectations of proper tea. I am able to take casual conversations that might be forgotten and magnify them into a permanent state through the ceramic process, while still maintaining the delicate nature and ephemeral qualities of intimate and personal conversations. The installation is designed to draw the audience in on an intimate scale to discern the text, but simultaneously generate anxiety and awkwardness due to its fragile nature.
