My image-based practice explores the process and results of transformation through the use of my own body as a performative object. I draw upon a catalog of props - familiar and obscure, ready-made and invented, static and locomotive. I construct images by positioning these props together with my body in unaccustomed ways that result in the de-contextualization of both the body and the object.
Various configurations can trigger tension between differing psychological states. I am particularly interested in stimulating responses of contrasting emotions such as pain and bliss, humor and fear, desperation and exhilaration. These dualities point to an inherent theatricality which lies somewhere between Commedia dell’arte grotesque, which combined surreal tales with comedic absurdity, and to the conceptual performances of the 60’s staged specifically for the camera.
The psychological tension I aim to elicit is often extended to the physical. Much of my work requires significant contortion, balance, exertion and endurance. The inclusion of these elements, whether explicit or implied, encourages the viewer to consider their own body.
Each performance is at once arbitrary and deliberate. This condition unavoidably calls up notions of play. Whether documenting a sculptural assemblage of body and object, or filming a loop of unexpected physical action, my work always emerges from inquisitive experimentation.
By using my own body as the primary vehicle of expression, I am able to convey certain subjective experiences that are beyond the scope of everyday experience. This in turn sheds light on the distinction between habitual and self-conscious activity. My investigations are meant to stimulate ideas and create situations that will challenge the viewer to re-examine their own actions, emotions and thoughts in relationship to the image’s framework.
