Beyond Measure: MFA Thesis Exhibition
Our interactions with the world are affected by and reflected through spatial memories, many of which exist as unseen layers of residue and personal history imprinted upon the spaces we inhabit. My work addresses ideas of human perceptual experience, memory and rationality in relation to these elusive and often invisible leftovers. Through working in glass, video, and mixed media, I explore the physical and emotional vestiges that we subconsciously cast off throughout our everyday existence and their influence on how we perceive our surroundings.
I grapple with what exists outside of the tangible realm in an attempt to unearth the intimacies of what lies beyond the limits of the conventional senses. I am interested in exploring the boundaries of the unknown, between conscious and subconscious, inside and out, real and imaginary. I contemplate what traces of ourselves we leave behind, what others have left behind in the past and where the history of a space and present experience converge and overlap.
Through my work I pursue the essence of remnants such as the moisture from one’s breath left over from a moment of standing still while deep in thought, the vibrations remaining from the sound of someone traversing a room, and imprints of bodily energy exuded after travelling from the suspended consciousness of sleep into the waking world. There is something precious and enigmatic that exists within these fleeting residual experiences that often go unnoticed and undetected that I am drawn to.
The material and conceptual qualities of the media I use both informs and reinforces the intangible ideas my work addresses. For instance, the historical relationship of glass and perceptual devices such as optical lenses, windows and mirrors as well as the unique way it interacts with, manipulates and transforms light is integral to the development of works such as resound and flutter.
My process of meticulous construction through the build up and layering of very thin fragile shards of glass results in glowing skin-like structures. The sensation of colour and texture in these works shifts and transforms as viewers move around the gallery space. From afar the material appears soft and inviting but as viewers draw near they are confronted with the sharp jagged edges of glass. The appearance of colour gradually fluctuates from light to dark, opaque to clear, fading in and out from shiny to matte. The perceptual shift in materiality reinforces the fleeting and perpetually changing nature of human perception in relation to space. My works manifest as relics of the intangible, making visible the subtle dialogues between body and environment.