2016–2017
The genesis for this body of work came from the concept of using my backyard as a theatre. I often view life and the world around me through the lens of a play - the set, the characters, the audience, the plot, the dialogue.There is a drama about everyday life that could as easily be playing out on a stage.
I use that idea as a frame for this work – it provides the opportunity to capture a still moment, one scene of the play in isolation. This in turn requires the viewer to fill in the detail – the plot, what led to the moment, and what may flow from it.
My backyard is the set. It is barren, cold and the props create tension. I focus on the characters – they are disguised, obscured - they taunt, spook and challenge the traditional sense of a backyard scene. They seem surprised by being caught in the image. The audience is unseen. The plot and dialogue is humorous and playful, yet spooky, surreal and disturbing.
I seek to create a body of work that disturbs the everyday reality – that allows for an escape from reality into the playful but spooky world of drama. The masks reflect the idea of the actors seeing but not being seen – the idea of the costume that allows one to look out but keeps the world from looking in. That sense of drama reflects the world as I see it.