My Process

The artistic process that I engage in can best be described as practice-based research combined with material thinking. Each project begins with thorough research into the subject. This often requires me to look to other fields of study, such as psychology and sociology, to gain a better understanding of the issue from multiple perspectives. As the project begins to come together, the process of material thinking is applied. This allows the artist, tools, and materials to work in co-creation with one another throughout all stages of the artistic endeavour.

Given my interest in three-dimensional art, installation, architecture, and the blending of different mediums within my work, it also becomes important to integrate the space itself into the process of material thinking. The space is just as important a co-creator as the tools and materials being used.

Space, tools, and materials each function as contributing elements in the artistic process and outcome of the project. Rather than place pressure on each of these elements and force them to conform to my own ideas of what the art should be, the application of material thinking (paired with ongoing multidisciplinary research) leads to significant evolutions throughout each stage of the project. I seek to actively participate with the co-creators by engaging in an ongoing dialogue with each entity co-creating with me.  

As a three-dimensional, visual, and conceptual artist, I have found myself being drawn back to large-scale social issues. Rather than take a more aggressive social justice approach, my artistic process begins by looking at the threads of discourse that need to be maintained throughout society to support long-term change.

Art has the unique ability to allow the audience to confront their own values and beliefs. It also creates a space in which the audience can see through the eyes of others. When it comes to addressing social issues, art’s ability to create a receptive space for audiences to self-reflect is critical. Audiences can make the active choice to participate, to bring their unconscious biases to the surface, and to walk away with a new perspective. Within my own artistic process, I seek to create that space for new ideas, empathy, and personal growth and give viewers the ability to choose to learn and share that knowledge with others.