Statement

Through my sculptural practice I explore visual cues of body language - or kinesics - a means of communication that exists outside our use of the spoken word. I look to lure the viewer into subconsciously replicating the artworks before them, signalling empathetic responses or affective connections. By placing focus on the figure, I can use both gestural abstraction and literal renderings to visualize these connections. My interest in our culture’s use of non-verbal communication subsequently explores the development of emotionally charged atmosphere’s, more specifically, the study of individualized postures, facial expressions and hand gestures as a vehicle for conversation.

My position as a Personal Support Worker for youth with communicative differences works in tandem with my sculptural research. Studies say 70 - 93% of all communication is non verbal, thus I am fascinated by the intricacies of posture and the importance of facial expression as either intentional or subconscious dictation. For myself, the most communicative traits can be best translated through clay as I can physically explore the nuances of emotion by adding and subtracting material while I navigate the delicacies of individual characteristics. Our mental or emotional state often influences the overall appearance of our physical selves; this often holds many indicators as to what that emotional state may be. These audibly silent cues, loaded with information about our communication process as a species, are the crux in which I develop my work.

-2022