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IN ITS MOST BASIC FORM, CEMENT IS A MIXTURE OF PASTE AND AGGREGATES, WATER IS ADDED AND IT COATS THE SURFACE OF THE FINE AND COARSE AGGREGATES. A CHEMICAL REACTION CALLED HYDRATION OCCURS AND THE PASTE BEGINS TO HARDEN, GAIN STRENGTH AND FINALLY FORMS INTO A HARD ROCK-LIKE MASS WE KNOW AS CONCRETE. WHEN FRESHLY MIXED IT IS PLASTIC AND MALLEABLE, THEN STRONG AND DURABLE WHEN HARDENED.
SUBCONSCIOUS IMAGERY OR EMOTIONAL RESPONSES : THEY ARE TACTILE REPRESENTATION OF NATURE'S LANDSCAPE THE WAY I SEE AND EXPERIENCE IT IN A TANGIBLE FORM. THESE ARE ABSTRACT CONCRETE PERSPECTIVES AND MY EXPRESSIONS OF EARTHLY AND MANS’ BEAUTIFUL SELF AND IT’S DESTRUCTION ― BY NATURE, BY MAN, AND BY BOTH IN UNISON. I AM INFLUENCED PRIMARILY BY THE LANDSCAPE THAT WE HAVE BUILT AROUND US. I WANT TO EVOKE A ROMANTIC NOSTALGIA FOR THE BEAUTY OF OUR TRUE ENVIRONMENT. I AM EXPLORING THE DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN & NATURE, MAN AND URBANIZATION, THEN FOCUSING ON OUR INNATE ABILITY TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CREATE & CONSTRUCT | BREAK & DESTROY | LOVE & HATE AND INEVITABLY TO LIVE & DIE.
I HOPE TO MAKE OUR CURRENT VIEW A LITTLE MORE NATURAL - USING THE KEY COMPONENT OF OUR CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENT TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL AND NATURALLY AESTHETIC I WANT TO HARMONIZE OUR NATURAL STATE AND OUR CURRENT WORLD. I AM A PRODUCT OF THIS BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WHAT WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED TO KNOW AS NATURE VS. WHAT NATURE IS. MY MESSAGE COMES THROUGH VIA MY CHOICE OF MATERIALS - BY COMBINING NATURAL MATERIALS SUCH AS TREE REMNANTS, EARTH AND UNTREATED FABRICS WITH CONCRETE. INDUSTRIALIZATION, URBAN EXPANSION AND NOW, OVER POPULATION HAVE DRAMATICALLY ALTERED OUR NATURAL STATE OF BEING AND OUR ENVIRONMENT.
THIS IS JUST PART OF THE ONGOING DANCE BETWEEN HUMANS, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE STRUCTURES WE LEAVE OVER TIME. IT’S PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS WE CAN HAVE IN OUR LIFETIME, IF WE CHOOSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. MY PROCESS IS A DIRECT AND DELIBERATE INVITATION TO RE-ACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THIS RELATIONSHIP AND PERHAPS SEE YOUR STANDARD LANDSCAPE THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES.
<WORDS WRITTEN BY A STRANGER>