Nocturnal
My mind is most active when I hit the bed, so I frequently experience insomnia. I do all my serious thinking about life and death in bed. Our current unstable political, social, and environmental climate also keeps me up at night. When I am in the in-between state of falling asleep or when I do finally fall asleep, I have vivid dreams that I try to recreate in my work. Sometimes when I move in my dreams, I reenact the activity in bed and wake myself up. I come alive in bed when I am supposed to be sleeping. In this series, I am exploring my nocturnal ways.
Infinite Geometry
Using images of our solar system, DNA, and quantum mechanics as a starting point, I created repetition to form geometric worlds. I am looking at cycles and impermanence. The basic nature of the world, without exception, is that it is never static but dynamic throughout.
Body Field
The body field is an interconnecting, complex network of fields that work together to affect the normal functions of the physical form. In this body of work, I am exploring the energy and biochemistry that make up the structure and how energy fields might affect health and disease.
Phenomena
Scientists observe the universe by measuring, theorizing and possibly controlling it. The philosopher wants to understand the universe, to linger over phenomena, logically searching for the meaning of being and knowledge. By contrast, I am not interested in explaining, understanding or controlling the universe, instead preferring to experience the extraordinary mysteries.
Realm of Infinite Possibilities
The realm of infinite possibilities is the realm that quantum physics has been showing us that there are infinite dimensions, and the infinite is expanding. The many worlds interpretation (MWI) theorizes that at the quantum level everything that could happen does happen, and that each possible outcome branches the universe into another which is at first identical aside from the alternative outcome. When I was diagnosed with "incurable" follicular lymphoma in 2005, and after failing many rounds of chemo, radioimmunotherapy, and a stem cell transplant, my chances for survival after going through a second salvage stem cell transplant were not favorable. In fact, one of my doctors told me that my survival was living proof that there is a God. Quantum mechanics also has an explanation. It could be that I was in one of the branched universes where miraculous survival is possible. If the many worlds interpretation is true, there will always be one branch where miraculous survival scenario is realized and that version of me will not die. In this body of work, I chose this technique to illustrate simultaneously occurring parallel universes within myself.
The White Room
In order to survive my lymphoma diagnosis, I realized that I needed to make major lifestyle changes and create a new identity for myself. I think of the white room as a conceptual white canvas where I can go to create a new reality for myself without boundaries. In this project, I tried to capture the various stages of my mind, body & spirit during this journey. In the end I imagined and envisioned a successful outcome which became a reality.
Inside/Outside
I have always been interested in human anatomy because it is an attempt to figure out what is beneath the surface of the skin: I am interested in probing beyond surface experience. With the projection work, I am projecting the interior onto the exterior with the intention of inverting and confounding insides and outsides. Combining dichotomies, a double take creates a third-take or whole. I am interested in unifying the polarities of inner/outer realities, life/death, mortality/immortality, mind/body, body/spirit. I am looking at scientific representation and how it is imposed upon the body. We demand some sense of order in the world. And we are always defeated.
Dreaming
My focus lies in a place that is a step removed from the material world. Much of the work comes from dream imagery. I feel that dreaming is perceiving more than what we believe is possible to perceive.