In February of 2013 I made my debut as a soccer player for the team Help
Wanted, the lowest ranked co-ed team in a local social league. The
weekly games were a real highlight; I was catching on faster than in any
other athletic endeavor, my teammates were a lot of fun to be around,
and the exercise was the BEST! After three exciting months my position on the team ended with a swift kick.
May 1st, 2013:
A few days later I had surgery, my wrist was set back into place with the help of a titanium plate and six screws. Even though I was really sad that my soccer season ended prematurely, my body now resembles my artwork! Modern medical technology merged with my biological body and I could not be more excited. It was truly amazing, five days after my surgery the bandages came off and I barely had to wear a splint because these little pieces of METAL were holding everything in place as my body healed itself.
One theme explored in my work is the idea that humans have developed physiological dependencies on modern technologies. Many of my pieces made in the past four years look like mechanical devices attached to the body or offer an interface for the body. Each piece implies a function partially seen or heard, leaving part of the function to the imagination.
In late 2011 I made two pieces called Bone Interventions (below) that are included in Laurie Beth Clark's Ossuary project (recently exhibited at Herron School of Art & Design in Indianapolis). When I met with the surgeon the morning before the surgery I could not help but compare notes on working with bones.
I often wonder how natural selection will fare in the glow of modern science and technologies. Whenever I begin to question my art studio practice I read another article or listen to another podcast on related topics, or look down at the three-inch scar on my left arm, and think "nope, the concepts are too interesting".
