Deliberate Dereliction

Abstract

Furniture makers have a responsibility to influence the way viewers process and interpret their pieces. Using personal memories and life experiences as points of departure, my furniture pieces will attempt to challenge viewer perception and experience, making the viewer question what is truthfully being seen. The key to making objects of this type is understanding that viewers have preconceived notions of what furniture is and what furniture should be and that these views result in a multitude of varying interpretations and reactions. The goal of my body of work is to trigger a visceral reaction within the viewer, which is essentially a triggered memory. The content of the triggered or activated memory is irrelevant, and it could be anything from pleasure and fondness to contempt and shock; the important thing is that an emotional response is elicited. These pieces are meant to directly challenge the viewer’s constructed ideas of furniture by the use of iconic forms juxtaposed against intentionally derelict elements. The iconic forms allude to one object that is wholly representational of a particular group - the essence of a particular form in furniture that one may recognize as a chair, table, console, cabinet, etc. The juxtaposition of these familiar forms and unfamiliar elements creates the perfect environment to elicit a visceral reaction from the viewer.