I work with
light because of its emotional and symbolic power. Light has a primal
attraction to humans.
It is a source of comfort, power, and beauty. It produces
their food, provides warmth and power
and is a beacon of security in the night.
It is also a symbol of knowledge, enlightenment and goodness.
It is a
singularly lovely medium. It has a purity that is unmatched by any other energy
or material.
Making books
which use light to create the images and text is a perfect marriage of the
symbolic
and the practical aspects of light. Light as a symbol of knowledge
illuminating the symbols which
transfer and preserve knowledge seems a uniquely
proper melding of technique and meaning. The
presence defined by a book-like
object in which the words and images seem to float in space between
the covers
is one which seems to appeal to human perception in a way which bypasses the
rational
entirely. This is ironic given that the book is the human invention
most responsible for creating
the information-based civilization we live in
today.
The symbols I
use in the installations appeal to people in a primal way as well. Petroglyphs,
cave paintings, and monolithic constructions are the earliest examples of human
artistic expression
and retain their emotional and aesthetic impact today, tens
of thousands of years after their
original appearance. The reoccurrence of
these symbols in such contemporary forms as crop circles,
gang signs, and
sports and corporate logos attests to their continuing impact on the human psyche.
The combination of glyphic or
alphanumeric forms and the symbolism of light create a powerful
iconic presence
that appeals to both the conscious and subconscious yearnings of people. The
artworks utilize electricity and advanced technologies yet they hearken back to
the most primitive
human emotions: those evoked by the presence of fire and by
light glowing against the darkness.
