Contract statement for fall 2009

“ How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but also within oneself? There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.” ~Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams

"I was interested in how we engage the world. How do we use our skin as our eyes? If you read a cityscape or a landscape with just your mind, and not your body, it becomes like a picture or representation, not something you really engage with." –Olafur Eliasson

“From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“…Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.”-Ephesians 5:13-14

Continuing my exploration of light, influenced by the impaired vision I faced as a child and my moment of artistic revelation, I will this semester attempt to refine my work and develop my continual exploration of engaging and playful studies of light and architecture. This is all in an attempt to bring awareness to sensations and phenomena in a multisensory presentation. Fascinated by the brilliance and possibilities of luminosity, I will expand upon the sense of play and multisensory exploration that I established last semester. I will explore light and its relation to architecture and the simple yet complex marvel that derives from its glow to regain the sense of awe in how we engage with this world. I will approach this from the role of the curious child and the inquisitive scientist without a distinction between the two. This exploration will result in a “…worthy expression of leaning into the light…” as Barry Lopez states. I hope to learn more about light’s intimate relationship to the objects and creatures upon this earth and more about its majesty.
Using both natural and artificial light, as an ephemeral source of material, I will experiment with photography, video and minimalistic installations/sculptures that react or alter space and architecture (not unlike the works of James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, and Ann Veronica Janssen). These artists have encouraged me to think outside the box by brainstorming how I can create work that takes the experience of the viewer into consideration (with the viewer in consideration perhaps this could expand my audience) and still presents a sense of my aesthetic subjectivity. If I maintain a sense of awe in creation, I believe I have the possibility to reach a vast audience that includes children. I feel that my work is a about a language common to all even if some aspects of light (such as color) may relate to specific personal experiences.
An individual, in many cases, must take the time to look, to experience. How can I offer an enticing presentation that presents the mystery of illumination and the spaces we inhabit while appearing welcoming? In a culture where access to information is fast paced, how do I present my meditations in a manner that will be captivating? How can I grab the participant/viewers attention span and suspend it long enough for them to ponder their relationship to light; long enough for them to stand in awe of their own childlike curiosity? I suspect in order to command attention/investigation that I need to construct projects that bring the viewer/participant to the “ ah-ha” moment in which they feel connected to a bit of reality through these mostly ephemeral studies. Inundating a presence that reminds the participant of their physicality in relation to the experience could do this. Instead of an essence or insight, the importance of the piece is in being caught up in the moment of investigation and exploration.
This Semester I plan to create light installations/interventions around the campus and the city, and more work/optical tricks with mirrors, illuminate Vanderslice reception room with warm tone colors at night, build a pavilion using plywood, house paint, and colored Mylar (warm toned), and develop more abstract videos exploring color and light. The projects are open to element of the surprise or the “ happy accident”. For my photographic studies, I will use various producers of light to explore and capture illusions and sensations. I will employ natural and artificial light (Light Emitting Diodes, fluorescent bulbs, prisms, etc.) as well as using light exposing on human flesh to do so. I will also study light and how it is utilized in architectural settings. Most projects will be documented by the use photography and video. My completion criteria will be as follows: I will judge how I successfully alter space, how I encourage viewer interaction, and how I developed a successful exhibition of my work for the end of semester.