Description
Living a passionate life guarantees an emotional one. Every task, activity, and experience that I take part in, voluntarily or not, is reacted to or carried out with an equal level of passion. My experiences can be either very positive and thrilling, or frustrating, saddening, and negative. I listen to music that charges my soul and spikes the throttle. I select food to eat that I feel is the most delicious thing to enter my body and feed my soul. I wear clothes that speak to my character and personality. I do not let people mistreat myself or others. I am always vocal with my thoughts and opinions. I feel these ups and downs more intensely than other individuals. Viewers of my work may experience any variety of these highs and lows, some sharing the same experience with me, and some not. I earnestly accept the self-induced challenge of eliciting emotional reactions from people through the functional objects I produce. Love or dislike, a laugh or an eye roll leading to dismissal or investigation, I embrace it all. Emotions create memory. The title Functionally Perverted is meant to stir up a response immediately. It is a play on words and can be translated in a number of ways. Perversion is most commonly associated within a sexual context. Almost anything can be considered perverted when it is is not performing or functioning as it is normally intended or perceived to. In some cases the first definition inspired the forms, and the second my material choices. In other words, some of my furniture forms are intentionally and obviously influenced by sexual perversions while simultaneously employing the notion of material perversions. In others, the opposite. In this body of work I question what expressions are socially normal and what is perverted? Are you perverted? Is that humorous? Through the contemplation of the objects I have produced, I hope these questions are raised and then answered. My intention is to give the audience something visual to chew on and begin the digestion process. My work is not passive. Anticipated or not, you may discover something about yourself and you will remember what you have seen, for I believe memory to be the most valuable attribute that we possess. The exhibition Functionally Perverted was installed in the University Gallery at San Diego State University, on view from April 25th through May 5th, 2016.
