Portfolio

The creation of art is the only sensible reaction to the abundant flow of information that surrounds me. Marshall Mcluhan once said: “Information overload is pattern recognition.” As an artist I am constantly seeking new patterns.

The focal point of this work is a central column with extensions projecting out of it incrementally that create a spiral staircase effect. As we grow older and wiser, our ability to process the influx of information improves. The bulbous ends of each step symbolize the collection of this data expanding gradually over time. The tubes absorb information from the pool upwards through capillary action. Shreds of letters are suspended in a water clear urethane resin, extracted from the vast reservoir of data. The thicker tubes progress thinner, as the older we get the more discriminating we become about our intake, choking off this mechanism. A baby is constantly bombarded with new sensory stimuli, and this is represented by the lowest outcropping with the thickest pipe. Tiny holes are drilled into the sensors to suggest a porosity that soaks up the information.

The terrain surrounding the tower consists of the familiar material of plywood ground away to reveal the laminates, suggesting erosion and the passing of time. I applied a marine grade epoxy resin to the surface of the valley so a pool of water could be an element to the piece.

From earliest design stages I wanted to incorporate text in some way without being literal, and the shredded pages seemed like the proper way to accomplish this. This addition was integral from the beginning, and also references Derrida’s deconstruction by breaking down language into fragments.