Abstract
I build enigmatic forms in clay with support structures in fiber and steel, draped in bold patterns and vivid colors. These sculptural forms are cited in spaces, installation in format and call people to consider how they give and receive empathetic actions. A range of hard (ceramic, steel, wood) and soft (clay, fabric, upholstered) materials are used in all of the installation moments as a way of exploring each elements need to accommodate or be accommodated. I look at a range of artists who are also exploring the idea of empathy within their work, such as Arlene Shechet, Franz West, Jenny Saville and Daisy Collingridge. Without awareness of how we engage with empathy, we are susceptible to creating a tumultuous relationship with it. Giving too much at every opportunity can be as damaging as never extending empathy to others. Traditional women’s crafts were taught to me as a child to create empathetic objects. Utilizing the forms as focal points for the conversation of empathy, covering them in color and pattern. I am eliminating the possibility of them going unseen. Allowing them to be seen within work as either one of the supporting objects, one of the objects being supported, or as the device used to facilitate their interaction.