Archaeologists uncover unknown objects from the past and demystify their meaning with the best scientific reasoning from the present. In my art, I am an archaeologist working in reverse order. I approach familiar, known objects from the present (some that are imbued with personal or collective memory) and represent them as mysterious relics from the past, who’s meaning must then be interpreted by the viewer. I select and juxtapose objects, then arrange them within a new context that mimics the antique charts and diagrams from science past. This reordering and re-contextualization invites the viewer not only to interpret the meaning of the combined image, but allows them to generate new meaning. The main purpose for creating the work in this show was to contemplate and analyze the imbalanced relationships between consumption and society; and society to its own understanding of itself. The conclusion that I arrived at is this: buried beneath our comfort and security there are dangers to our existence as individuals and as a society. There is a price for progress, and it’s about due.
Originally exhibited: April 7th-30th, 2006 | Hot Shops Art Center, Omaha
