nested: paintchips2008-2009
thread, paper
nested: paintchips (detail)2008-2009
thread, paper
Artist Statement:
I am inspired by the tension found in the convergence of new technologies and traditional art making techniques.
I've long been interested in how information is visualized - data mapping, cartography and infographics have been sources of inspiration. This body of work is an exploration into the ways in which identity is formed and changed by the convergence of new technologies (such as social networking), the natural environment, and relationships. I am fascinated by the ways Internet and social networking have transformed the ways which people communicate both on & offline. This transformation leaves me nostalgic and drawn to making art that is labor intensive in mediums such as hand sewing and silverpoint.
With the silverpoint, I am drawn both to the quality of the mark and the history of this method of drawing. These large scale silverpoint drawings, through their use of intersecting fingerprint-like shapes, explore the relationship between the unique and the group. The clustered nature of these drawings also evoke the networks, or clusters found both online and in nature. The individual shapes in these works are reminiscent of repetitive ovular shapes frequently found in "natural" organic forms such as fingerprints, tree rings, and mussel shells.
This idea is also explored through a series of hand sewn paintchips. Each paintchip features sewn concentric circles that call to mind nests and serve as a metaphor for the idea of home; exploring the nature of home and identity and how this is formed and informed by relationships and environment. I am particularly interested in the ways in which identity can vary between mediums such as the difference between one's online persona and identity in person or at work for example.
Both the silverpoint drawings and sewn paintchips also explore the relationship between the individual and group through the use of unique multiples. The groupings suggest the ways in which people are both part of many different yet intersecting groups, and the ways in which we seem to naturally form attachments and groups with people or things that can be both alike and yet different from ourselves. This phenomena can be observed in the natural environment but is now also evident when viewing online groups and has become more apparent as sites like Twitter and Facebook have expanded the ways in which we form connections. There seems to be both an enlarging and narrowing aspect to this way of communicating, and this body of work grew out of my interest in this subject.
