Vibrance I-VIII
VIBRANCE speaks via visual reference to the Cyberpunk aesthetic as symbolic of the ills of progress. Cyberpunk as a genre is a narrative shorthand for the glittering lights of progress that hypocritically channel value upwards to the ruling class, at the expense of those entrapped in generating that value. Stories told through the Cyberpunk lens oft tell the tale of productive masses toiling towards a brighter future, dangled before them like a proverbial carrot. It is steeped in the illusion of progress while sweeping the cost of that progress – people – under the rug. In retaliation, the Vaporwave aesthetic uses the same visual language to speak to the strength of the human spirit, to break free from those oppressive societal structures that seek only to take.
Drift & Fade
Venturing for the first time away from monochrome, Drift and Fade address the theme of the show Seeing Stillness – processing and creating from a place of isolation and arrested momentum. The patterns remain as calculated as ever, this time incorporating a subtle palette that echoes shadows tracking slowly across the walls as the day passes.
Embroideries on Paper
These four pieces mark my embarkation into a new body of work. After a long period of experimentation combining grid-based patterns with various materials and media, I settled on embroidery to imbue the work with tactility. This lends the work a sense of tension between the formal, minimal pattern content and the much more human approach of the handmade medium.
With my pattern work, there is an element of series involved – each pattern is inspired by the previous pattern, and in turn, inspires the next. Changes may only be incremental, an element added, removed, or adjusted to examine the overall impact on the final work. One small change can inspire many variants. I intend to further explore the possibilities these variants present through this body of work.
Embroideries on Fabric
Working largely with patterns on grid paper for most of 2016-2018 I found myself seeking to manifest one of these patterns – these drafts – in a more permanent, physical form. Embroidery intersects with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art; flat enough to mount on your wall, yet you can feel its form between your fingers. Fabric also conveniently forms a grid – the perfect vessel for these ideas.
