UPDATED STATEMENT

I pulled a lot of this from pre-existing posts, so it probably sounds familiar. I was pleased with the way I had composed a lot of these paragraphs from my posts, so I saw no harm in just using them verbatim for my new statement.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Oxford American dictionary lists the following definitions for “extension” and “projection”: EXTENSION – A part that is added to something to enlarge or prolong it; a continuation : the railroad’s southern extension. PROJECTION – A mental image viewed as reality : monsters can be understood as mental projections of mankind’s fears.

At the beginning of this semester, my thought was that my work would be both an extension of myself (a literal extension of the body, work that adorns and decorates, enhances or inhibits, empowers or makes vulnerable), and a projection of my inner thoughts/visions/emotions onto three dimensional objects. Thus far I have continued with this core concept.

As I continue to work, I am pulling from a number of themes: Power, weakness, control, horror, comfort, exposure, protection, masculinity, femininity, anonymity, restriction, and also, challenging the movements/behavior of the human body.

I have been exploring different kinds of “extensions”. Some are sewn from fabric, and others are made of cardboard, or metal pieces harvested from machines. Some of these articles are meant to augment the body or make it appear powerful. Others are actually meant to interfere with the body and the way it is normally seen/the way it normally functions.

I am currently making a series of masks which serve as full hoods, creating an ambiguous human figure, yet isolate specific facial features via precise openings. I am also experimenting with the visual impact of liquid of varying viscosities on fully ambiguous masks.

I am also pursuing a specific art direction in my work. There is a certain “look” I am attempting to achieve in documenting the work, and I feel that my art direction alone serves as a strong addition to my portfolio.