I am interested in the stuff of life. I often work with discarded objects and materials that were, at one time, a part of everyday experiences. Through changing trends and a general desire to consume these things outlive their usefulness or become obsolete. At times, the materials I employ are ephemeral such as flowers and rose petals. Once they have passed their prime in the garden or at the florists they are transformed into large-scale installations. My recent work incorporates paper garbage in various forms including mail discards, personal notes, product boxes as well as material collected off the street. Garbage is largely the sources by which past civilizations have been studied. Consequently, this material serves as artifacts of our time. In altering or re-presenting it my intention is to set up underlying narratives and to encourage the viewer to reconsider the familiar. These materials serve as signifiers of relationships and connections we have with the world around us and to one another. It is perhaps, these relationships that ultimately lie at the center of my explorations.
Laura Vickerson