a r t i s t s t a t e m e n t
The beginning of the 21st century has arrived with fast-moving technologies and a perpetual barrage of inconsequential information. We now live in a world directed by smart phones, social media and an increasing ‘need’ to be ‘connected’. Our rapid technological advancements are transforming our very fundamentals as we shift away from the traditions and knowledge we have accumulated over our existence. Being of one of the last generations to know life before cell phones, home computers and the internet, I ask myself what life will look like in 50 and 100 years and how much of mankind’s essence and ingenuity as known before the 21st century, will continue on into the future?
Regarding the past, my work strives to challenge the 21st centuries move away from tradition by sustaining an age-old craft and integrating it with contemporary themes and technologies. I use digital photography along with the antiquated technique of cameo engraved glass to make archival records of contemporary life. The digital photography serving as inspiration for the engravings cut by hand. My engravings symbolize my collective experiences and observations and are a portrayal of what life looks like at the beginning of the 21st century. Focusing on the tangible, I document my surroundings or people in their environments to contemplate our existence.
My work looks to the past as a directive of how to navigate the present. Learning how to slow down and take time to become intimately close with the ostensibly insignificant moments that together make up life. In an age of rapid change and when many traditional crafts and skills are being lost, I feel it especially important to record and document life through visual art, so as to be learned from and not forgotten in the rush of the 21st century.
Regarding the past, my work strives to challenge the 21st centuries move away from tradition by sustaining an age-old craft and integrating it with contemporary themes and technologies. I use digital photography along with the antiquated technique of cameo engraved glass to make archival records of contemporary life. The digital photography serving as inspiration for the engravings cut by hand. My engravings symbolize my collective experiences and observations and are a portrayal of what life looks like at the beginning of the 21st century. Focusing on the tangible, I document my surroundings or people in their environments to contemplate our existence.
My work looks to the past as a directive of how to navigate the present. Learning how to slow down and take time to become intimately close with the ostensibly insignificant moments that together make up life. In an age of rapid change and when many traditional crafts and skills are being lost, I feel it especially important to record and document life through visual art, so as to be learned from and not forgotten in the rush of the 21st century.
