BOOKTOOLS, TOYS & WEAPONS
A complicated, lifelong relationship with the printed word lies behind my current exploration of books as both sculptural material and subject matter. The volumes I use to make my work are destined for landfill-- rescued from thrift stores and library reject bins. Their new life as art objects functions both as reclamation of their value and recognition of the decreasing role of books in a digital media world.
Describing these pieces as tools, toys and weapons is both elegy to and celebration of their material origins. Their contents may no longer be available, but they are still able to have a distinct relationship with a viewer/manipulator. Through this transformation, I investigate the way our relationship to learning is increasingly simplified and categorized, into that which is useful, pleasurable, or can be wielded to some kind of (personal or group) advantage.
The pieces in this section date from January of 2013 to mid-2014. All are made out of book fragments, painted with a combination of oil and acrylic, conjoined with a variety of handles and hardware. The first installation shots were taken at Southern Exposure Gallery in San Francisco, CA in May of 2013 as part of an exhibition called Reverse Rehearsals.The second installation pictured was at Alter Space Gallery in SF, in October of 2013.