Targe No. 3: Birds And Bones / Freedom And Decay Sculpture

My lace sculpture is an act in seeking balance, of repeatedly introducing contradiction and opposition to show that a harmonious equilibrium is possible. Combining the flowing, inherently feminine lace with hard, industrial man-made resin alters the inherent quality of each material. Each goes through a process of loss and gain. The result is a dimensional expression of politically-soiled notion of compromise. Here, balance creates porous solidity, frozen fluidity, a three-dimensional canvas. I consider my all my work to be works in lace, and in lace, I see more than kitsch doilies or superficial decoration. Lace represents countless individual threads intertwined to create interdependent networks with the nuance of connection shaping endless possibilities of pattern. As broad as this cultural metaphor might be, lace also represents the intimate and delicate, as well as the domestic and historic traditions in handcraft. I am influenced by the passing down of handcraft from one generation to another, while also striving to re-contextualize traditional craft. In my sculpture, this contextualization occurs primarily through the lens of science and mathematics. These influences can be reflected within bodies of work in ways that utilize the design principles of origami, invisibly physical forces such as gravity, or the way that a single simple curve can transmute a formless plane into mathematically complex geometry. My work has always been grounded in this nature of dichotomy and the oscillating exchange that occurs by combining dissimilar media and processes is an expression of the desire for and in search of balance in body, mind, and action.