deborah carruthers
My artistic practice has allowed me to pursue several topics of particular interest: genetics, the environment, absence, loss, and memorialization. Marcel Proust, in “À la recherche du temps perdu” (“In Search of Lost Time”) references the idea of involuntary memory.
My explorations are not unlike attempts to create involuntary memories. These memories may be influenced by our genetics and our environments, akin to Jacques Derrida’s contention that the past can continue to haunt the present, and are rich with regard to the senses. The use of a variety of media allows me to examine my topic of interest through engaging with touch, sight, sound, and occasionally taste.
I typically distill a concept down into a title for a series, which then informs the direction of my investigations. More and more I find myself wanting to integrate the use of sound into my work.
During my initial research, I often make extensive use of photography. Photography allows me to share exactly what caught my eye at a given moment: textures, colour, and detail. Paintings let me process ideas over time, and are not meant to be mimetic, but rather my lasting impressions. Sculpture allows me to create a memorial, literally expanding the idea into space. Finally, sound allows me to create a sense of place and geography.
This approach lends itself to the creation of series of works which individually present a facet of the idea under consideration, and collectively seek to provoke deliberation.
My explorations are not unlike attempts to create involuntary memories. These memories may be influenced by our genetics and our environments, akin to Jacques Derrida’s contention that the past can continue to haunt the present, and are rich with regard to the senses. The use of a variety of media allows me to examine my topic of interest through engaging with touch, sight, sound, and occasionally taste.
I typically distill a concept down into a title for a series, which then informs the direction of my investigations. More and more I find myself wanting to integrate the use of sound into my work.
During my initial research, I often make extensive use of photography. Photography allows me to share exactly what caught my eye at a given moment: textures, colour, and detail. Paintings let me process ideas over time, and are not meant to be mimetic, but rather my lasting impressions. Sculpture allows me to create a memorial, literally expanding the idea into space. Finally, sound allows me to create a sense of place and geography.
This approach lends itself to the creation of series of works which individually present a facet of the idea under consideration, and collectively seek to provoke deliberation.
