My work investigates the physical and mental spread of culture on a global scale through references to maps and charts. I am interested in the movement of people, business, and organizations, and the effect this has on contemporary perceptions of place. I emphasize globalization’s role in producing greater connectivity between increasingly complex environments through political systems, urban/suburban development, individual travel, and international business organizations.
In my own travels, I have often experienced an environment first through a map and second as an actual place, forcing me to apply the location to the flat images of the map. This experience from the abstract to the concrete and back again informs my work, which transforms the familiar conventions of maps and popular images into unfamiliar landscapes.
Through extensive research of corporations, political systems, governmental organizations, etc., I look to discover how each views and identifies with the world. I transform this information into a visually complex piece with conceptually disorienting elements. Layering images creates ambiguity between different locations and environments while retaining a sense of separation among the parts. I hope that my work challenges viewers to consider the relationships among various regions while reevaluating their understanding of place in a global community.