Selected Paper Artists 2004
62 Images of Contemporary artwork by 19 paper artists juried from the Hand Papermaking Artist Registry
SELECTED PAPER ARTISTS 2004
THIS WORK attempts to describe the relationship between our physical bodies and the Earth. The installation’s “body parts” can be arranged to tumble in numerous formations, echoing the natural process of weathering. These random patterns suggest how, over our lifetimes, personal characteristics coalesce into purity, and then ease away into death. When our bodies are returned to Earth at burial, they are cleansed. Erosion comes to our bodies as it comes to the Earth, leaving only the whiteness of bones.
I am interested in the healing properties of land forms, as well as in people who live “off the land,” such as the Navajo. They are people who strive to restore beauty, balance, and harmony. After spending time in the landscapes of New Mexico and Iceland, I become very aware of the natural forces and energies surrounding me. Avalanche represents this search for an understanding of the Earth and our existence upon it. This piece demonstrates that physical and spiritual restoration requires us to respect the natural environment. Additionally, I had the opportunity to collaborate with English composer Jonny Perl, who produced a piece of music entitled Avalanche, made specifically for the installation.
The formations in my installation are a collection of rocks; they are altered due to the individual nature of the human spirit. While representing spiritual cleansing, they also serve to convey our temporary existence in “geologic” time. These body parts document our presence; we will return to the ground as the pure fragments of our once fully formed figures. As we disintegrate and become a part of the Earth, I believe that with it we form a direct relationship and affinity.
