fear

fear became a central theme for my work when i participated in the Land Arts of the American West program at UNM in 2002. i remember distinctly when. it was our first real campsite, not too far from the valley of the gods in Utah. our camp was on top of a mesa. one day when i ventured out for inspiration the thought occurred to me that anything could happen out here, including falling over the edge of the sheer cliffs. this thinking inspired my work Cliffhanger.

fear of falling is countered by a desire to climb. in such a litigative culture this is problematic when it comes to the body, but encouraged in the business of acquiring monetary wealth. ruin is the object of fear, and it is only possible through risk (which is also what you do when you play). one's body can be ruined by falling, and a wealthy culture can also fall into ruin. i find the divergent attitudes interesting.