deformable bodies
Why are boundaries so charged? The places where nations meet, where transgressions occur, where essential differences are felt, hold tremendous potential. It is thrilling to cross over perceived emotional boundaries, to recognize yourself in the other.
This work explores the imperative of physical presence as it has been redefined by our experience in virtual worlds. Physicality has become both more familiar and more alien. The moment when you pull out of a virtual world and resettle into your material body provides the basis for the transitions I build in the work. The shift between one fully engaged experience and another allows the moment of confusion while pulling out to equal the moment of recognition while resettling. I explore the potential in moments of crossing over, where the movement between invented and existing edges supports and simultaneously subverts inherent physical properties. Materials take on characteristics of abutting areas, similar to the way groups of friends can align pheromonally, or some animals use camouflage. The nature of abstraction too has changed, no longer seen only in opposition to representation; it has become a more direct route to physicality. Representation now is more about illusion.
The materials used, the common experience of fabric pulled against muscle, of the grain of wood, of tree branch against sky, triggers the familiarity with the felt world. This feeling is heightened through the softness and suggested comfort of the stuffed forms. They serve as a reminder of the intense attachment to stuffed toys and the anthropomorphism of cuddling them. These moments of crossover provide an emotional jump.
The areas of dense graphite are specific and descriptive, without discussing an observed form. The clarity of the drawing leads to questions of source. They could be cellular structures of the fabric, for example, but they are intentionally invented and highly illusionistic. By stressing the specific qualities of each material, its identity becomes a focus. As they meet, they begin to mirror each other, to adapt to the behaviors of the other. The graduation of value from light to dark, without the distraction of color, allows the focus to stay on these qualities.
The areas of fabric (felt or wool) are stuffed, rounded, and dimensional. As the fabric meets the wood plane, it is inlaid into the wood so their surfaces unify. The gessoed areas are planar until graphite breaks the surface. As the drawn line leaves the white plane, it begins to mimic the grain of the wood until it travels off into space through the willow.
“Deformable body” is a term from material science used in rigid body dynamics to describe the ability of materials to undergo shifts in plasticity. This work looks at the ability of materials, physicality and illusion to shift and realign without loosing their identity.
This work explores the imperative of physical presence as it has been redefined by our experience in virtual worlds. Physicality has become both more familiar and more alien. The moment when you pull out of a virtual world and resettle into your material body provides the basis for the transitions I build in the work. The shift between one fully engaged experience and another allows the moment of confusion while pulling out to equal the moment of recognition while resettling. I explore the potential in moments of crossing over, where the movement between invented and existing edges supports and simultaneously subverts inherent physical properties. Materials take on characteristics of abutting areas, similar to the way groups of friends can align pheromonally, or some animals use camouflage. The nature of abstraction too has changed, no longer seen only in opposition to representation; it has become a more direct route to physicality. Representation now is more about illusion.
The materials used, the common experience of fabric pulled against muscle, of the grain of wood, of tree branch against sky, triggers the familiarity with the felt world. This feeling is heightened through the softness and suggested comfort of the stuffed forms. They serve as a reminder of the intense attachment to stuffed toys and the anthropomorphism of cuddling them. These moments of crossover provide an emotional jump.
The areas of dense graphite are specific and descriptive, without discussing an observed form. The clarity of the drawing leads to questions of source. They could be cellular structures of the fabric, for example, but they are intentionally invented and highly illusionistic. By stressing the specific qualities of each material, its identity becomes a focus. As they meet, they begin to mirror each other, to adapt to the behaviors of the other. The graduation of value from light to dark, without the distraction of color, allows the focus to stay on these qualities.
The areas of fabric (felt or wool) are stuffed, rounded, and dimensional. As the fabric meets the wood plane, it is inlaid into the wood so their surfaces unify. The gessoed areas are planar until graphite breaks the surface. As the drawn line leaves the white plane, it begins to mimic the grain of the wood until it travels off into space through the willow.
“Deformable body” is a term from material science used in rigid body dynamics to describe the ability of materials to undergo shifts in plasticity. This work looks at the ability of materials, physicality and illusion to shift and realign without loosing their identity.
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