Artist Statement
My photographic subject matter in the Assemblages, the Drawings and the Book evolved from biological specimens to domestic artifacts. The old balloons, wire pieces, or earplugs look like the specimens of a museum, possessing the same strange qualities whose former purpose is only vaguely evident.
In the Constructions, the work, like pinned insects, is positioned for examination. The tools dissect, scrutinize, or pull apart while also mimicking legs or bodies. The contradiction of both destroying and creating is at the heart of the work.
The Prosthesis project continues my interest in perceiving the body through the tools we create. I have photographed prosthetic and orthotic devices at various stages of completion. They represent in an abstract way my own experiences with loss and growth both physical and emotional.
After working with prosthetics I wanted to investigate the process of creating them in countries with unexploded ordinance and landmine issues. My images document medical facilities and rehabilitation centers in these places as a way to bring to our attention the need for these clinics in parts of the world continually affected by these lingering weapons.
This body of work has depended on the generosity of Cambodia Trust's Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) in Phnom Penh; the Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), National Rehabilitation Centre, in Vientiane, Lao; The Prostheses Foundation of H.R.H. the Princess Mother in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia; Handicap International Belgium Rehabilitation Centre in Siem Reap, Cambodia; and the University of Washington Medical Center's Department of Rehabilitation Prosthetic/Orthotic Clinic.