Pittsburgh Artist Registry

A great deal of our time, energy, and resources are spent in the pursuit of objects of our desire – both material and immaterial ones. My artwork is an exploration of desire and the means by which people attempt to attain the objects of their longing. Most recently, I have focused on the issue of how we relate to what is commonly considered “nature”, a word usually used to denote a world separate from ourselves.

I am especially interested in the contrasting set of desires that we often expect the “natural,” or non-human, world to fulfill. For various reasons, many people look to nature to find a sense of meaning in their lives. At the same time, it is also a source of valuable resources and materials. In technologically developed societies like ours, which have gained a great deal of mastery over their environment, nature provides the fodder for two contrasting fantasies: further domination over the earth, and making contact with the pure, unspoiled origins of our existence.

I make sculptures and environments that operate in an in-between place - rather than attempt to assert a particular viewpoint, I create opportunities for heightened perception of our daily predicament. Many of the materials I use are commonplace household items, such as Styrofoam or plastic packaging.  I choose these materials not only because of their status as a by-product of an industrialized culture, but also because their sheer ubiquity lends itself to addressing an experience of our environment that is not exceptional, but practiced on a mass scale.