Artifact or Artifice

artifact n. any object made by human work; esp. a simple or primitive tool, weapon, vessel, etc.

artifice n. 1. a clever expedient 2. trickery or craft 3. a sly or artful trick —syn. see art, trick

Through the artifacts that remain we believe we understand the stories of places and times we have not personally experienced. In reality we have no way of knowing if those artifacts reflect a reality or if they are artifice.

In my sculpture I capture moments in a narrative and express them as artifacts (or sometimes artifice). In many cases the narrative is autobiographical, but through the reduction of the story to a few simple objects I hope to make the narrative more universal and at the same time create an air of personal mystery.

The work included in Artomatic 2009 is titled “Comforts of Home.” It is through the title that clues about the subject are given to the viewer, but little is revealed. The narrative is yours to imagine.