Note to PHO2008 & DIS2601

siology is a collection of thoughts, inspirations and creative processes which have contributed to my practice in first, second, and now third year studying photomedia and art.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Artist Statement: Empty Shells


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.