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Much of my current work utilizes
a combination of traditional and unconventional materials
which become conceptually charged through their relationship
to the works underlying thematic content, namely the
intersection of the social, the biological and the man-made
as they relate to a rapidly evolving global culture.
The
Meltdown series of video works can be viewed as a poignant
yet sublime post-apocalyptic meditation. Ice is used
here as the primary medium, which as it melts, echoes
the the increasing frequency of floods, hurricanes,
and other natural disasters. The work can serve as an
intervention in the current discourse on climate change.
At the same time, it engages with a wide range of contemporary
art historical practices and paradigms. This includes
Process art, which places emphasis on an artwork's actual
'making' as opposed to the finished piece, and in this
case, its 'unmaking' as a finished 'painting' unravels
to reveal it's own creation through chance occurrences
in a time based medium. It connects intimately to my
painting practice both formally and conceptually. What
distinguishes the piece from much video work is its
placement at the interstices of film, painting, sculptural
and process oriented practices.
One
of the core strengths of this piece is its conveyance
of environmental pathos in a non-narrative and indeed
almost non-representational mode while avoiding cliched
imagery. Instead, it gives a microcosm of the fragile
state of environment that unfolds in real time. The
imagery at once evokes perspectives not unlike satellite
views of the planet, or the innermost workings of a
living organism.
The
current plan is to complete a series of 4 of these video
pieces along with a group of related paintings. As for
the 6 editions of the video, each DVD would be accompanied
by a custom produced book and slip case. |
