In the 19th c., a collective melancholic sense of loss came to fruition – it was popular to collect souvenirs of an imagined Atlantis. Fragments of a lost civilization allowed the collector to fantasize about a past that did not exist, generating longing for it, which motivated further collecting.
Like the Victorians, my longing for fantasy is insatiable. Guided by horror vacui, the fear of empty spaces, Short-Cuts expose an insatiable seeking, and a desire to evade unwanted thoughts by distracting myself with things. Iconography from collected aspirational imagery is interpreted in metal, emphasizing a craving for opulence and escape. It comes together in an articulated, chaotic, and often indiscernible jumble, representing a put-on magic, and an attempt to aggressively find joy within my work.
These pieces utilize representations that fill the void, but also work to generate it.