Materializing the Self was a 2 year project rooted in notions of contradictions, collaboration, ritual, memory, the decorative and process. I embarked on the project when working on my masters in art education at UBC. Materializing the Self recognized that "I is never unified nor stable - it is fragmented, provisional, multiple, in process (Smith, S. 1995) thus, the work is comprised of many parts, where each 'part' or 'object' begins from a found source from nature. These starting points, such as, seed pods, leaves or a pruning from my mothers garden were chosen because of sentimental reason, aesthetic judgment and sometimes, an offering from someone. During this project, the making occurred on a regular basis, reminiscent of a ritual or mediation or perhaps a journal entry. It was in the action of the making that a moment was marked, in a physical, sensual way.
The altering of these found natural objects speaks to process. The process is as significant as the completed parts themselves. I reinterpret the original. In the winding, pinning and embellishing, the object is re-arranged to extend my perceptions to other truths.
I contradict it's origin. It is through the proposed space and actualizing of a contradiction that I rupture notions about truths, grand narratives and on how one comes to understand. I come to realize that "the lived truth is slippery and contingent", Sumara, 1996, not pre-determined but rather, contingent upon relational engagement and experiences.
Choosing to collaborate with objects from nature, embodies that act of transformation and process that I inquire into. Through decay, shrinkage and decomposition, their nature is constantly shifting, ever evolving and adding another layer to the mix. A metaphor, for the self.
