Statement

The new millennium, thought to be a period of great happiness or human perfection, during which holiness is meant to prevail, instead has begun as a time of fearful uncertainty marked by heightened intolerance and injustice resulting in multitudes of pointless wars driven by righteousness and posturing. Wars are man-made, and though many people would say some are worth fighting, in truth the only war worth fighting is the one against what we've thoughtlessly wreaked on Mother Earth.

The idea for "Origins Extinct" piqued my consciousness around the time the book, "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond arrived at bookstores. Diamond explains how many societies would ultimately fail as civilizations by looking out only for their short-term needs without any consideration of their long-term survival. Sound familiar? However, I also learned from Diamond's book that certain societies, Japan being one of them, saw the wisdom in looking out for their children's future and took appropriate steps in insuring the natural resources of their land were protected for the long-term.

At the same time my own exhibit in Japan was approaching, and not certain of what work I would show, by chance I found a pile of old computer chipboards dumped down the hallway from my studio, and auspiciously soon after that a stash of long forgotten gingko leaves in the back of my flat files. Then it all clicked - the Gingko tree is one of the oldest trees on Earth and very sacred for the people of Japan. With "Origins Extinct" I wanted to connect to the reverence the Japanese hold for the Earth and convey their esteem through my cultivated amalgamation of man-made materials and organic elements.

As I took my found objects and started assembling the first pieces for "Origins Extinct" I was faced with the question of how to tie the opposing elements together and convey the frail ecological state our world is now faced with. Keeping with the Japanese motif, I chose the ancient writing style of Kanji for its history and for its powerful symbolism. My intention to reflect the simplicity and balance much needed in everyday life and pay respect to the Japanese way of living in the world rather than just living on the world.