The common experience

Abstract

My work originates from youthful experiences focusing on how they have formed and shaped me and the way I view the world around me. The sculptures evolved out of a period of self examination and a realization that these experiences are not unique to myself only, but are shared by a great number of people. When these experiences are multiplied by the number of people who have felt them, they affect the world as a whole as we pass them along generation to generation. My personal role as an artist is to use the three dimensional presence of sculpture to communicate these experiences to the viewer. Use of the figure is important to me because it provides the viewer with access to the work and changes the question from 'What is it?' to 'What is this about?'. The figure draws the viewer in, and with the addition of other visual clues, such as broken glass or cast objects, forms the composite story. The viewers are then able to form associations with the work through references to their own experience.