“Helium: A Story of Love and Desire”
I work in the medium of photomontage and digital image manipulation. Working in photomontage started out of practicality — it was simply more viable for me to assemble pieces of photographs than it was to draw. Over time, I realized that combining images into new contexts can weave spells of awareness and build new layers of meaning.
I work with themes and imagery that vary but for which I feel a sense of correctness to express senses of awe and wonder at scales that range from inner experiences to contemplation of the grand and infinite. These senses may be unverifiable according to science standards, but I hope they can be shared.
I feel a kinship between artistic and scientific processes. Each develops from roots in curiosity and holds a power to expand understanding. From the very small to the very large, the distant and the invisible, science can show us the truths that we may not see or even comprehend as possible. Art can engage with shifts in perception, diving into the personal and the imaginal and emerging with new expressions of intuitions and experience.
At their most powerful the works of artists and scientists can extend from esoteric knowledge to a broader shared awareness. Blending art and science bridges a gap between complementary ways of imagining possibilities, searching for meaning, interpreting discoveries, and communicating meaning.
Art and science knew one another and the possibilities of the universe expanded. In this piece, the nascent universe continues to follow he call that brought it into being. Tiny particles are lured by the forces that hold principles of cosmic engagement, and are fused into an ongoing agreement to remain in relationship. The first act was an experiment. The second, with an expansion of complexity, met the edge of the universe, peeked at the possibilities of what lay beyond, and took a step. It changed and increased what was possible.