ARTIST STATEMENT

Assemblage, the three dimensional cousin to collage, utilizes preformed natural or maufactured objects, commonly referred to as 'found objects'. The history of this art form is well documented. My introduction to it occurred while traveling in Vermont, where I came across an old fashioned hand-drill in a second hand store. Turned at an angle, with its red wheel juxtaposed against a contoured steel shaft, and topped by a stained wooden handle, the drill appeared to me as a complete sculpture. I experienced this altered state of perception once I had stripped myself of notions regarding the tool's original purpose.

I bought the tool and introduced it to a variety of objects, some similar, some foreign. From this process relationships began to emerge, suggesting where connections might occur. As the relationships grew in number, the piece gained complexity. Objects were forced to subordinate their original identity to a larger context, something more commanding. Interpretation of the overall piece was no longer defined by known perceptions of the individual objects, but instead by an understanding of the overall assembly. I knew at this point that if I could realize this transformative process that other viewers could as well.

My fascination with the phenomenon of perception, involving the interplay between vision and interpretation, is grounded in my early academic pursuits in the field of psychology. As the saying goes, 'things are not always as they first appear'. In studying viewers' reaction to my work, I have noticed that their initial response is often one of recognition. They reveal their familiarity with one of the objects in the piece, even though it might be modified from its original form or inverted from its normal orientation. This reaction is immediate but limited, and often evolves into a deeper interpretation based on the viewer's understanding of alternative context, spatial configuration (involving negative as well as positive space), integration of materials, and the meaning assigned to object/component roles.

Titles to the work, often common cliches, are offered to suggest how I see a particular piece, but not necessarily to limit other interpretations. Although sometimes varied, I often find that my sculpture evokes a viewer response that is very close to my own. This common experience reinforces my belief that the viewer's reaction is essential in validating and completing the artist's work. It is at this interactive stage that art becomes whole.

Nick De Palma