Why
My latest work investigates the way in which the subjectivity of human perceptions limits the individual’s world view. The individual’s mental “map” of reality is formed by experiences; the record of these experiences is the group of memories formed by perceptions. As many have noted, this makes reality quite a subjective experience. My work takes as its starting point the idea that maps, far from being neutral documents, are equally subjective, and tell as much about the person who made them as they do about the location that they purport to represent.
I am fascinated by the interconnections surrounding the individual in the world. I explore themes of system and community in my work, in which individual elements often combine to form structures based on interrelationships. I question what it means to be an individual within a network of systems. To what extent do societal, cultural, or economic systems hold the individual in place, or to what extent is the individual free to move across these systems? To what extent does a person’s inclusion as a component part of these systems limit the possibility of an objective perspective on them? Can a group of individuals have an awareness that is separate from and greater than the sum of its parts? I enjoy making work in which small elements add up to form a whole, the complexity of which is compounded by the interrelationships present.
I tend to relate the process of making art to the ideas that I explore by making the systematization of my own production part of the piece. I create rules for myself, opening possibilities for a body of work by closing others. I become a worker for myself, or the player of a game, or a participant in a ritual. The process of making art furthers an investigation of the forces at work around me. The result is a map of this journey. My hope is that the viewer may see the possibilities at play within the structure of the work and accompany me on a journey of inquiry.
