ROPE — y0uph0ria

A Rope: Speaks

[2017-2020]

That which reaches us immediately, and may seem clear at that distinct moment, becomes filtered through what we soon realise is a long detour of words and mediation. We experience ourselves enslaved between torn between what we know and don’t yet understand. The representation the unknown, or potentially unknowable, becomes imperative for both the artist and us, as viewers.

The installations are, simply, presented to us, yet the image relies on us to be understood. In this way they hold our thoughts and our judgment: within its presence will ultimately be what we think of it.

Thus, can we separate the works from themselves and how they act as a mirror of our thoughts? The regimes of interpretation and representation becomes directly linked with one another. The work relies on direct engagement. The direct engagement between the viewers, the installations, space and works hold empathy within their power of connectivity along with a mirroring affect of ones own being.

It is looked at, rather than seen through, with its effective ability to occupy the space not only through visual factors but also with sound and through the stimulation of other senses such as smell.

Human senses are active but not overloaded. An overload of activating the human sense indulges in the risk of the viewer shutting down and disassociating, rather than engaging with the work. Thus, my conscious decision to often use two or three senses allows for the works to speak, and permits semiotic exchange through informing our feelings. We/the audience encounter a dialogue between our inner selves and our feelings which the piece informs.

The installations come into existence, they breathe through its senses, they it speak and they are finally brought to life through the viewer and their thoughts.