Art Mentor

Earlier in the year I was approached by a Masters student studying Education who is writing their thesis focusing on the phenomenon of student learning within the context of adversity. Trauma can interfere with the healthy and normal development of academic and cognitive skills needed for students to succeed in school. 

They asked me to assist them in the creation of an altered book that would visually represent their experiences of adversity as a teaching aid for the classroom to provide a better understanding into the academic failure and struggle that children can encounter. 

We are currently exploring different options on how to represent the visual journey. It is anticipated that the altered book will be completed by the end of the year, with a printable version available for the school curriculum available shortly thereafter. 

71 Eunoma

71 Eunoma
30 x 30 x 30
Wood, wire, fire

Things are gearing up as the countdown for my Thesis show begins in earnest ... I have 40 days to go before my exhibition opening and 13 days til my draft Thesis statement is due to be handed in.

Today one of my pieces was photographed for the NSCAD Graduate Exhibition Catalogue, which is designed by NSCAD students Grace Laemmer and photographed by Erica Flake.  A big thank you to them both for their magic x

the temporal dimension of liminality

Its crazy to think that the end of the third semester is nearly upon me. Deadlines are fast approaching for papers, as well as my third semester stdio review to discuss the progress of my work.

2nd year MFA students are also expected to have their exhibition title, press image and statement ready for our thesis shows mid next year. 

It has taken me all semester to work out what I am trying to say. The concepts have been teased out through my studio work which has been working intuitively with found materials within the theme 222 Grips for a Stone.

Along side this I have been reading a book a week and writing a response for independent studies. Through my reading and writing I have slowly filtering my key areas of interest which has finally been distilled into one word: Liminal. 

Press Statement

Liminality is the moment in time when things transition from one state to the next. The dissolution of order creates a fluid, malleable situation where one's sense of identity dissolves, bringing about disorientation, but also the possibility of new perspectives. Often the liminal experience is subliminal,  existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness. 

My MFA thesis exhibition explores the social context of liminality relating to place, travel, loss and regeneration through physical and metaphysical objects.