Making sculpting is a way of expressing what I absorb, hear and experience from the world in which I live. Much of my childhood was spent between East Asia and Europe and the impact of their diverse landscapes and cultures made a great impression on my early life. Despite this diversity, I have always been struck that the intrinsic needs of all human beings are the same; namely, to eat, sleep, love, be loved, and belong. This perception has led me along paths of exploration which over time have revealed a simple and grounded expression in my sculpture.
Man’s way of being in the world has been a driving force behind the sculpture I create and I sometimes use it to reconcile the harmonies and disharmonies I feel. Contemporary western culture’s emphasis on acquiring information leads us to accumulate vast quantities of knowledge, much of which we never experience first hand. Through our schooling, this stress is upon learning a logical and reasoned method of comprehension which develops a linear and rational approach to worldly values and issues. The cacophony of media reiterates these values and from the earliest age we are cleverly ‘persuaded’ what to buy, where to go on holiday, what to look like, who to vote for, etcetera, etcetera. This is often at the expense of our own valuable instincts. These matters are of concern as I believe through our modern lives, our deeper perceptions stagnate and we lose the ability to connect to our innate senses, our inner selves. We constantly look to an authority outside ourselves.
To facilitate my focus I work on being in the present. Appreciating what we have. Looking to the simple. Sitting with silence.
Through this journey I have been interested in sculptural forms from indigenous cultures, many of which evoke spirits of fecund vitality, the embodiments of life. I approach my work with this spirit in mind. By centring my faculties of intuition, I work from an inner core, knowing the forms that are made come out of the depth which is reached by giving one’s self over to the play of creativity. The work is about being alive, being in touch with our deepest perceptions and trusting them.