The Migration
Much of the work in this exhibition is inspired by the challenges that fish species encounter as they migrate to spawn, as well as animals that depend on their survival. Suspended from the ceiling, tethered to a rope, and using design elements from wrecking balls, the animals and figures in this exhibition are given a metaphorical capacity to demolish obstacles in the way of migrating fish.
Folk art provided a heavy influence for me when making the work in this show. While carving the relief of these works, I was thinking of translating the type of mark-making you might see applied to animals in folk-art illustrations. Anthropomorphism is another queue that I took from the folklore images I have encountered. They are more relatable for me that way: confrontational and with more capacity.
Folk Art and other Visual Inspiration
Robert McCloskey
The Beehive Collective
For visual styling, I was thinking about books that had a impact on me as a child. The illustrations in “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey and “The Mitten” by Jan Brett made a lasting impact on me. I also admired the illustrations and mission of the Educational Images produced by the Beehive collective. I was interested in the emotional capacity that these animals had while still having a strong sense of realism.
Jan Brett
In developing the allegorical language of the work—and the peculiar blending of animal and wrecking-ball forms, which assigns human-like agency and behavior to animals—I was influenced by the way Walton Ford reframes animal behavior through allegory. His work, often referencing the conservation imagery of John James Audubon, helped shape my interest in using animals as stand-ins for larger human and environmental narratives.