Artist Statement

I am fascinated by physical systems (mechanical and biological), and how multiple parts bond to simultaneously perform a function.

In an attempt to deconstruct my own physical system, I have spent the past year developing (and performing) four character types, identified as the Pitcher, Catcher, Batter and Umpire. Each player embodies qualities I share with my family. By staging interactions within a controlled physical system, I set out to personify familial hierarchy through baseball player strategy.

Strategic player dynamics and communication tactics, as manifest in the game of baseball, construct an exquisite metaphor for hierarchical roles. I have experienced and observed such dynamics in peer groups, familial relations and sibling order, political, religious and social powers, and in competitive games.

In baseball, the Umpire is the authority: the judge who enforces rules and makes a call by monitoring the "strike zone" - the area between the Batter's shoulders and belt. As a "middle child" I am often susceptible to Umpire-types; Generally, I identify with the Batter-type, who I find to be reactive, intuitive and playful. Yet, all the parts are in me, each more or less prominent depending on which "player-type" I interact with.