Entwined
Dependence on industrial processing and products is an integral part of our contemporary way of life. My recent work explores the ways this reliance is woven into the fabric of daily experience. We manipulate residential and natural environments to accommodate industrial complexes and systems. These activities and perspectives reflect our relationships with and impacts upon the local environment. The health and ecological concerns that accompany these facilities are costs we choose to accept or perhaps ignore.
Subject matter draws from anecdotal experiences of people living in the Gulf Coast region and in close proximity to industrial facilities. The suggestion of a narrative presents the audience with a puzzle of imagery. Whimsical drawing, bright color and decorative pattern pull the viewer close to the work, but also distract from and obscure references to refinery equipment. The ambiguous cloud shape is a presence that represents the unknown or concealed characteristics associated with industrial disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010. It is simultaneously beautiful, mysterious, and threatening. I call attention to these interrelationships through contrasting serious subject matter with alluring colors, patterns, and narrative elements.
