Artist Statement

I render my relational experiences through time-based video and performance work that experiments within the genre of nonfiction. Thematically, my work investigates the melancholic nature of memory and history and my particular place within it.

The work subverts the notion of traditional, self-focused autobiographical works, turning to a historical method of feminist autobiography which refers to the self through connections with others. I hesitate to call my work autobiography as it is rarely about me only but rather about my relationships with family, memory, place, the viewer, and culture. I would more likely call the work autoethnography.

I approach the work with a curiosity about both the material I am exploring and the process of creating through improvisation. Autoethnography pairs with the significance of improvisation in my work as creative and social tools. My scholarly research and creative interests converge in this way. Through creating work, I play with both constructed and improvised performances and shots. Also, focusing on relationships allows for the use of family members’ voices and images in the work.

The work melds my passions for music, language, theatre, and the composition of images. Before committing myself to time-based media, I found myself onstage doing vocal music performance and theatre. This desire to perform and fascination with the liveness of performance has manifested itself as a thread through my work; I appear visually and aurally in most of my videos. 

My interest in and curiosity about spirituality has created both a method of producing work and an aesthetic for the images and sounds present within it. The visual and aural qualities of the work match the methods of creation which involve ritualistic practices. Repetitive and formulaic construction in my work creates a sense of both freedom and structure for the concepts explored therein. The participatory nature of my videos and performances creates more opportunities for both improvisation and conceptual development. 

The work forms a balance between sound, text, and symbolic imagery. The juxtaposed relationship between the sound and image creates meaning that neither the image nor audio could provide on its own. Growing up and raising my family in rural America has given me a unique perspective on landscape, place, and our connectedness to both. My work often addresses this implicitly. Often, the work features spoken and written poetic text coupled with fragmented images of my body and spaces.