Description
My work concentrates on varied forms of emotional and physical facades that most humans employ, inspired both from personal experience, and observation of human interaction. Deception can be witnessed by embellishment of the truth, careful word choice, disguise, omission, or diversion tactics and by psychological manipulation. Deceit can be simple or complex in nature, but functions as a means to influence or skew others perceptions. With this body of work I aim to encourage viewers to become more aware of the ways in which they are deceptive as a means to protect or represent themselves to the world around them. The main motivation for my work is to provide a tangible form to the dichotomy between the emotional interior and the socially displayed exterior. The materials, techniques and displays for this project were chosen to enhance the viewers experience by allowing the viewer to connect to each piece by alluding to the human body, and referencing memory, and creating intrigue. Materials including sterling silver, nickel, steel, polyvinyl chloride, cubic zirconia, fiberglass, tar, mirrors, and twine were used in combination with techniques such as, wire construction, sculpting, shell casting, wood fabrication, stone setting, and heattreating. The visual effect was heightened by placing the work in areas in the gallery where there was almost enough room to walk around the pieces, while barriers required viewers to navigate in a predetermined fashion, asking the viewer to often give up one entire side of any given piece. This created an overall sense of conscious manipulation of the viewer, in contrast to the very visceral work being displayed. Hiding in Plain Sight was exhibited in the Flor y Canto Gallery, at San Diego State University, April 23rd-28th, 2011. A set of images of this project is on file in the slide library of the School of Art, Design, and Art History at San Diego State University
