Sunday, July 25, 2010
Near West Side
These paintings and drawings were all in done on location in Syracuse's Near West Side.
Three Landscapes
Three Landscapes
Printed Chiffon
Pages Cafe, Bird Library
The city of Syracuse is home to over 1,000 Karenni Refugees from Southern Myanmar (previously known as Burma).
The Karen are an indigenous civilization that has resided in the hills of Burma for more than 10,000 years. During WWII a group of Burmese nationalists aided Japan in invading British-controlled Burma, killing thousands of Karen in the process. In 1947, after the dissemination of Japanese rule, the Burmese nationalist drafted a constitution without the consent of the Karen and persecution continued. Since 1949, the Karen National Union has waged war against Burma in attempt to gain independence and/or establish a federal government. In the 1980's Burma was taken over by a military dictatorship which retains power to this day. For the past 22 years this military government has been exterminating all Karen Peoples within the national borders. Each year thousands of Karen cross the river to Thailand where they wait in refugee camps in the mountains until a select few earn relocation to the western world.
To many of these refugees, Syracuse has become a third home, and third landscape to which they must adjust. The first layer of this piece features four strips of chiffon with photographs of the Karen in the native land. The second layer of thirteen strips features all three refugee camps in Thailand where over 600,000 Karenni currently reside. The third layer of this piece is the window itself through which one can see the landscape of Syracuse University, a climate and geography that is utterly unfamiliar to the Karen.
By superimposing these three landscapes, the viewer is given a window to another world, an alien experience similar to that which a Karenni experiences each time he looks out of his window at a Syracuse winter.
Printed Chiffon
Pages Cafe, Bird Library
The city of Syracuse is home to over 1,000 Karenni Refugees from Southern Myanmar (previously known as Burma).
The Karen are an indigenous civilization that has resided in the hills of Burma for more than 10,000 years. During WWII a group of Burmese nationalists aided Japan in invading British-controlled Burma, killing thousands of Karen in the process. In 1947, after the dissemination of Japanese rule, the Burmese nationalist drafted a constitution without the consent of the Karen and persecution continued. Since 1949, the Karen National Union has waged war against Burma in attempt to gain independence and/or establish a federal government. In the 1980's Burma was taken over by a military dictatorship which retains power to this day. For the past 22 years this military government has been exterminating all Karen Peoples within the national borders. Each year thousands of Karen cross the river to Thailand where they wait in refugee camps in the mountains until a select few earn relocation to the western world.
To many of these refugees, Syracuse has become a third home, and third landscape to which they must adjust. The first layer of this piece features four strips of chiffon with photographs of the Karen in the native land. The second layer of thirteen strips features all three refugee camps in Thailand where over 600,000 Karenni currently reside. The third layer of this piece is the window itself through which one can see the landscape of Syracuse University, a climate and geography that is utterly unfamiliar to the Karen.
By superimposing these three landscapes, the viewer is given a window to another world, an alien experience similar to that which a Karenni experiences each time he looks out of his window at a Syracuse winter.
Divisions
Divisions
Hand-dyed cotton and thread
In order to give meaning we make distinctions. In order to make distinctions we create divisions. In order to create divisions we draw lines. We typically think of a line as rendering two things separate while in fact the line marks the crucial connection between the two sides. This line, which is neither clean-cut nor straight, shows how the two sides of any binary distinction are intricately and inextricably intertwined. Neither side exists without the other, and neither takes precedence.
Hand-dyed cotton and thread
In order to give meaning we make distinctions. In order to make distinctions we create divisions. In order to create divisions we draw lines. We typically think of a line as rendering two things separate while in fact the line marks the crucial connection between the two sides. This line, which is neither clean-cut nor straight, shows how the two sides of any binary distinction are intricately and inextricably intertwined. Neither side exists without the other, and neither takes precedence.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
47 Piece Set
As children we play with small plastic army men and recreate violent battles in our imaginations. Though we may kill a couple hundred army men in one hour, we are never made to deal with the consequences of our action. This custom hand-crafted set of plastic army men introduces the idea of mortality, and the responsibility that comes with it, to a game which usually only features action and violence. Each fallen solder has his own small pine coffin complete with little nails. The nationally ambiguous funeral ceremony is complete with a flag at half-mast. The entire set is enclosed and displayed in a hand-crafted toy box shaped like a casket. All pieces are intended to be used.
"All You'll Need is a Number 2 Pencil"
Fully functional 8ft long number 2 pencil
A different kind of drawing tool
4.5"x8', Spruce, steel, graphite, paint, rubber
A different kind of drawing tool
4.5"x8', Spruce, steel, graphite, paint, rubber
Monday, July 12, 2010
2"x4"x8'
A bowl that holds all the trimmings and dust generated in its construction.
One unfinished, un-sanded 2"x4"
Wood Glue
One unfinished, un-sanded 2"x4"
Wood Glue
Blaster for Betty/Dove for Fan/Fish for Fred/Spoon for Stan
This single piece of carved red oak is not a representation of an object, biomorphic or otherwise. It is merely a toy with which the holder can do whatever he or she wants. It is at once a gun, dove, fish, spoon, club, and even perhaps a sculpture, yet it is none of these things. Function and meaning rest in the hands of the beholder
Freshman Colloquium VPA: Self Portrait
On the night of the sculpture presentation in the Freshman VPA Colloquium at SU, over 100 students were asked to interact with a single sheet of 8.5"x11" paper. The students were allowed to work on their pieces throughout the duration of the presentation, upon which time they placed the finished pieces on the stage according to where they had been seated, thus creating a self portrait of the students assembled.
This Blog
This Blog is a place to record, display and discuss my work. Some posts are sketches, some are experiments, and some are final pieces.
Thank you for visiting.
Thank you for visiting.
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