Artist's Statement:
What does it mean to put something inside of a protective box? A box could be a museum case to display the object, a crate to secure the object, or a frame to enhance the object. But the box always has the same significance; someone felt the object inside was worthy of being placed inside of a box.
I began building the box constructions in high school, and have been exploring the medium ever since. Over the years the box forms have explored various styles of architecture or furniture forms, but the boxes themselves were never the subjects. The objects inside of my boxes were always cast-offs, either natural or man-made, but their original uses were gone or forgotten. There is no longer a meaning for it beyond its simple existence. Often these objects; these everyday, useless, broken things, have no meaning to anyone other than me. It is an enshrinement of the mundane, and the boxes have become more elaborate over time to play off, and emphasize, the contents. The boxes are based on the recognizable language of ornament and architecture; they resemble, without direct copying, monuments, furniture forms, or clock cases. The exterior formality alters any meaning of the contents; there is no symbolism in the objects other than what the viewers create in their own minds, but securely encased, behind glass, what do they think they see? Do we look differently at an object because someone else thinks it’s worthy of preserving? Does one useless item take on a new significance just because someone else built a shrine around it?
During the construction of each work my mind usually wanders to thoughts of the object, the words we use to refer to it, and how the words relate to the object. My own fascination with words and languages help me arrive at a title while the work is still in progress. Words can do some odd gymnastics in my mind, but they always come back to the subject at hand. The title of my most recent show; Quid Hoc Sibi Vult? is an example. Translated literally it means “What does this want for itself?” The word “this” could refer to anything, perhaps the objects in the boxes themselves (although they are inanimate objects, and unlikely to wish for anything) but really, what would anyone want for him or herself? However, the sentence is the Latin idiom meaning “What does this mean?” This is a question I am asked often (in English, not in Latin) about the sculptures, and occasionally about titles. The real issue is not what these mean to me, but what do they mean to others? If these objects are inside boxes, what does that mean to you? Yes, there is a story behind every one of these works, but I won’t always be there to explain it, nor should I. The finished work has to speak for itself. While I may hope it says the same to you as it does to me, it may not. Like a Rorschach test, there are no wrong answers.
I began building the box constructions in high school, and have been exploring the medium ever since. Over the years the box forms have explored various styles of architecture or furniture forms, but the boxes themselves were never the subjects. The objects inside of my boxes were always cast-offs, either natural or man-made, but their original uses were gone or forgotten. There is no longer a meaning for it beyond its simple existence. Often these objects; these everyday, useless, broken things, have no meaning to anyone other than me. It is an enshrinement of the mundane, and the boxes have become more elaborate over time to play off, and emphasize, the contents. The boxes are based on the recognizable language of ornament and architecture; they resemble, without direct copying, monuments, furniture forms, or clock cases. The exterior formality alters any meaning of the contents; there is no symbolism in the objects other than what the viewers create in their own minds, but securely encased, behind glass, what do they think they see? Do we look differently at an object because someone else thinks it’s worthy of preserving? Does one useless item take on a new significance just because someone else built a shrine around it?
During the construction of each work my mind usually wanders to thoughts of the object, the words we use to refer to it, and how the words relate to the object. My own fascination with words and languages help me arrive at a title while the work is still in progress. Words can do some odd gymnastics in my mind, but they always come back to the subject at hand. The title of my most recent show; Quid Hoc Sibi Vult? is an example. Translated literally it means “What does this want for itself?” The word “this” could refer to anything, perhaps the objects in the boxes themselves (although they are inanimate objects, and unlikely to wish for anything) but really, what would anyone want for him or herself? However, the sentence is the Latin idiom meaning “What does this mean?” This is a question I am asked often (in English, not in Latin) about the sculptures, and occasionally about titles. The real issue is not what these mean to me, but what do they mean to others? If these objects are inside boxes, what does that mean to you? Yes, there is a story behind every one of these works, but I won’t always be there to explain it, nor should I. The finished work has to speak for itself. While I may hope it says the same to you as it does to me, it may not. Like a Rorschach test, there are no wrong answers.
Studio view, spring 2014
