alison OUELLETTE-KIRBY

Breath Battery Re-Breather
Inflated steel, copper, cast aluminum

I am primarily interested in using my work as a vehicle to reveal experiences that are not exclusive to myself. I endeavor to make pieces that ask the viewer to participate in the definition and realization of meaning in each piece. The artwork attempts to create a specific relationship and interaction while endeavoring never to be moralizing or to pass judgment. Archetypes, and processes, both narrative and symbolic are subject to my own interpretation and context, and can work as an initial catalyst to perpetuate this relationship.

What we think we know becomes a bridge to the familiar, a way in - but the answers can be elusive. Many of my materials and direct references come from things that can be thought of as lush. I try to use the sensuous appeal of surfaces, colors and objects to hint at things that are attractive, yet there is a certain awkwardness, a self-conscious awareness of discomfort, uncertainty, longing, desire, disillusionment, and possibly confusion. I want my objects to be relentless, yet so very quiet, even timid. I would like the pieces to act as a type of reflecting pool, and each viewer can see themselves among those mirrored.

My work is in essence a filtering system, allowing things to pass through for contemplation while isolating or, leading one to contemplate the circumstances presented within each experience.

I build sculptures because to me, sculpture is tantamount to experience: feeling, breathing, living. Sculpture can be experience itself, because it is an actuality. The object is the most suitable form for my work because of its singularity, establishing a one-on-one relationship with the viewer, in which the viewer internalizes the dynamic I’ve created. This dynamic can call into question normal events and how each of us in turn gives meaning to our experiences.

In Case of Emergency, Please Break Glass
Steel, plastic, cast bronze, pull mechanism