I see recycling stores as metaphors for dislocation and the search for the self. What does an object ’mean’ when it is no longer in fashion, or when it is removed from a context which designated it a specific value?
I use the objects that strike an emotional or visual chord with me as a starting point for a piece of work. These objects often lie in my house for several months until the germ of a connection starts to form between other found objects or images. I then combine them in ways that forge connections between the items. What is often most interesting is combining objects that have clearly been of great value to their owners - sentimental or otherwise - with objects that have a throw-away quality.
Combining objects puts them into a dialogue with one another, much as we need to start from the beginning when we meet someone new. I want them to represent the rich possibilities for meetings of cultures - human beings in all their colour and variety, not stripped of their dignity, just pared down to the points where they can form a meeting and an exchange.