Empty Shells began as a personal revisiting of my suburban
childhood homes. Though the buildings stirred homesickness in me, I ultimately
came to see them as empty vessels – houses as apposed to homes.
This work picks apart the
tangible from the intangible. It aims to separate the art object itself from
the projected sentiments of a subjective viewer. This separation is an
uncomfortable one, as it questions the connections between reality,
representation and interpretation.
I criticize the high art
aura with deliberate hypocrisy - elevating meaningless photographs on white
walls and plinths. It is important that this dialogue comes from within a
self-referent medium, and that irony, self-awareness and satire come into play.
In many ways, Empty
Shells is a sculptural piece. Subject matter has taken a back seat, and I
have become less concerned with the content of the photograph and more
preoccupied with the physicality of the prints, books, shelves and wall space.
The still-life shell has
come to stand for all objects that are, in themselves, devoid of intellect,
consciousness or emotion. A deeply formal approach to presentation aligns with
my fascination with the way the walls, bricks and beams of a house can somehow
hold emotional significance for a person.
I believe this ‘meaning’ is projected, and often
imagined. It does not come from within the house, object or artwork. Without
the viewer, a photograph is reduced to ink on paper, an art object, and nothing
more – just as a falling tree makes no sound in an empty forest.
