Artist Concept

I helped an artist write a reply to a call for public installation artists to apply for grants, co-written for and with the artist in San Francisco, CA, 2011. This is our result:

My work combines a balance between man and nature, the inevitable destruction that is caused when they collide, and the beauty that can still emerge when nature is respected. I propose to do a large-scale version of my “[xxxxxxx]” series in the [xxxx] lobby.

“[xxxxxxxx]” is an examination of the opposing elements of fire and water, brought together on paper. I facilitate their interaction without overly influencing it. Water is dripped down paper that has been drawn on with oil pastel, then the paper is torched from the bottom up, while the water continuously flows in small streams. The paper, wrinkling slightly as it dries, is coated with polyurethane, freezing it in time so that it still looks wet. It is then layered and lit from above, so that the colors in the paper shine through, breathing life into it. 

“[xxxxxxxx]” is the aftermath of an intense process where fire and water have transformed paper into a flowing, ethereal, dream-like entity. In the [xxxx] Gardens, I want the viewers to feel a connection between the piece and the gardens, where the sound of flowing water echoes the work, which still looks like it could be wet and dripping. From inside, the ambient light from the windows will cast beautiful shadows into the lobby. I am bringing the viewers into this elemental moment between a wet and burned state, using the very basic and familiar material of paper to consider the relation between humans and nature.