Reflecting the Anthropocene 2021

Ontology is the branch of philosophy that tackles the challenging subject of the nature of being. Ontology explores our relationship to the objects around us and the behavior of that object world. To study ontology is to begin to understand what it means to exist in this world of phenomena and what the implications of that existence are. Reflecting the Anthropocene explores ontological questions. Rather than writing about ontology, it strives to create ontological landscapes built to foster intuitive understanding and metaphysical realizations.

The sculptures encourage reflection. This can be literal, as in the case of mirrors, or in the broader work of asking the audience to reflect through metaphor. They can literally see themselves in the mirror, but they also may see themselves in the objects that surround them. The mirror positions them in space, but they are also encouraged to investigate their position within, and their relationship to, that space.

The sculptural forms are meant to be at once familiar and alien. They may remind the viewer of recognizable objects such as mountains, human figures, and vessels, but they are not direct illustrations of these objects. They are tipped over, exaggerated, or under-rendered versions. In this way the objects become a means for investigating the certainty the viewer has about the world around them and their place in it.