Primarily, my practice reveals aspects of waste – the enormity of human consumption that alters the natural landscape – with the potential of repurposing discarded material.
In a time where human impact on the environment requires attention, I find myself continuously fascinated with artificial mounds residing at landfills due to the North American culture of want, rather than necessity.
My current practice combines sculpture with screen printing processes, combining various forms and colours which allow the viewer to ponder the elements of the work. In The Aesthetics of Junkyards philosopher Thomas Leddy observes that “junkyards are a slideshow of humanity,” allowing us to confront aspects of our social environments while offering a constructive way of using artificial landscapes to approach human connection across divided social landscapes. My current exploration aims at understanding the subject of waste piles as a cultural form, while recognizing the aesthetic qualities apart from those interpretations. The tension created between the social critique and aesthetic qualities is found in contemporary photographer Edward Burtynsky’s images of landscapes altered by industry, which appear aesthetically compelling in contrast to the compromised environments they depict.
This body of work resembles recognizable mountainous formations found within the Kamloops region reimagined to form an artificial landscape, allowing the viewer to inspect the elements that have produced the culturally recognizable forms.
Art is a way in which perceptions and ideals can be translated into a visual representation, containing possibilities for change and reformation.