Artist Statement

 

 

The central theme in my work is human behaviour and how it is affected by the surrounding environment. Taking inspiration from psychological experi- ments, interior design and social events, I create site and situation specific installations as settings to be inhabited and activated by an audience.

The ‘environment’, as I use the term, can be divided into three main fac- tors: Physical (architecture, colour, interiors), Social (interaction between the individual and larger groups/global media) and Internal (inner monologue, memory, mood). These factors, though distinct, are at constant interplay with each other, it is essentially this interplay that underpins my practice. I try to predict how people will behave in controlled situations, but it is the chaotic subjectivity and unexpected reactions that always lead to the next inquiry.

 

I experiment with the traditional viewing experience, by being selective about who is invited to participate or having strict conditions for how work is encountered. At times actors or musicians activate the scenario, controlling the audience and atmosphere. In other works the participant is left alone or in groups, placing the responsibility for what takes place on them. I periodi- cally inhabit my own work, using self-portraiture as a microcosm to investi- gate global issues. The immersive environments I create are object-based and more recently often have a cross-disciplinary aspect. On first encounter they appear playful and alluring but subsequently sinister elements emerge. Each project tends to originate from a present emotional anxiety, which I at- tempt to decipher through a combination of empirical and secondary research. The resulting work is simultaneously expressive and clinical.