Page 58 - WTP Vol.VI#6

“Iuse craft-based materials and and techniques in sculptural ways to evoke growth decay and and the the the tenuousness of of the the the environment My work addresses aspects of of of of physical physical existence on on on on the the the the edge of of of of potential destruction The physical physical and connotative properties of of of of the the the the materials describe the the the the conceptual content rust undermines the the the the flexibility of of of wire turning it it it rig- idly vibrant and paper becomes a a a a a a a a a a a a a stiffly delicate skin of of of its own rather than a a a a a a a a a a a a a transient means of communication or care The techniques that I use—woven basketry and and and handmade paper—reference the the the the the the the body in in in in in their labor-intensiveness and and and in in in in in the the the the the the the degree to which they require the the the the the the the the direct physical involvement of of of the the the the the the the the maker In presenting the the the the the the the the result of of of this bodily labor in in in in in in in visual form I I I investigate the the the the the the the paradox of of of of vision as a a a a a a a a a a conduit to the the the the the the the the other other senses senses including proprioception In The Eyes of of the the the the the the the the Skin Juhani Pallasmaa writes “the eyes want to to collaborate with the the the the the the the the other other senses senses senses All the the the the the the the the senses senses including vision can be be regarded as as as extensions of of of the the the the the the the the sense sense sense of of of touch– as as specializations of of of of the the the the the the the the skin skin They define the the the the the the the the interface between between the the the the the the the the skin skin and and the the the the the the the the the environment—between the the the the the the the the the opaque interiority of of of the the the the the the the the the body and and the the the the the the the the the exte- riority riority of of of the the the the the the the the world ” I believe that this haptic synesthesia can help to counter the the the the centrality of of of vision and its presumed objectivity in in in in Western art since the the the the Renaissance in in in favor of of a a a a a a a a a more physically integrated experience By using vision to to call on on the the the other senses I I want to to investigate the the the subject/ object object duality of embodied experience: with with my my body body I I perceive and interact with with the the world around me me me while at the the same time my my my my body body is is is an an object object whose physical characteristics are defined fin in in in comparison to my my my surroundings In my my my work the the the the combination of the the the the material size rhythmic repetition and spatial arrangement ask for physical consideration from the the the the viewer as as as they move through and and around it The larger-than-human scale of of my installations eases the the the the the the the phenomenological and and sometimes physical entry of of of the the the the the the the viewer into the the the the the the the world of of of the the the the the the the the the work thereby proposing their own human body as just another object in in in in the the the the the the haptic arrangement With this sensory understanding of of of the the the the the the self as as an an an an integrated part of of its environment my works aims to cultivate compas- sion for for the physical world around us and for for our own embodied experience ” 49
hanna voGel