Any art work is an expression of the person who made it. Art can only truly be made in total freedom and this gives it a mysterious power that manifests the true "voice" of those who made it. A large part of my current research & practice is in developing new ways to work with local communities to generate artwork that can be incorporated into public sculpture. Often, for socio-political reasons, large scale projects are installed in places with historically neglected communities. Sometimes the motives for this are a genuine and sometimes they are cynical. Either way as an artist who is driven to express, there is a real reward in making a collaborative work that truly stands on its own aesthetic but ALSO makes a statement for those who usually are not seen and not heard. Another attraction is that usually I work alone in my studio, working with many hands & minds is inspiring and highly effective….together we are kind of invincible.
When possible, I like to work with local artists, architects, engineers and technicians in the immediate locale of the project. Through their contacts local construction workers and fabricators will be brought on to the project as well. The challenge of sustainability pertains to absolutely everything. Locally generated wealth should be for local people in the locality where it was generated, as far as possible and the world has so much talent this doesn’t threaten the integrity or quality of an art work.
