Artist Statement for Too Close
A Site specific piece commissioned by Cheekwood Museum of Art

Too Close

As we continue to progress technologically, I am concerned that while we are able to better connect with others, that connection is perhaps at the peril of our private selves. Consumer-driven technology keeps us in touch but does not give us time for reflection. It accommodates our superficial needs, but it can not serve our innermost desires. American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in The American Scholar, "Men, such as they are, very naturally seek money or power….this revolution is to be wrought by the gradual domestication of the idea of Culture. The private life of one man shall be a more illustrious monarchy, more formidable to its enemy, more sweet and serene in its influence to its friend, than any kingdom in history."

Mechanically-driven, Too Close acts as both installation and interactive event, inviting viewers to reexamine their relationship with their environment. Three white, slightly quivering, elongated cocoons hang from the ceiling. Each cocoon independently creates its own dialogue with the viewer, deflating when a person gets "too close." The deflated cocoon reinflates only if the viewer remains motionless or walks away.

Too Close was created in collaboration with physicist David Piston.

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