Bud and Betty Micheels
student artist-in-residence grant

VALERIE KASINSKAS 2004-05

We live in a complex, ever-changing world that is driven by one's sense of reality. Today, an individual's sense of reality is influenced and altered in many ways. Expectations, Translations, Situations, are major themes that I am dealing with in these pieces, which represent a journey of thoughts and the relentless flux of life. I hope to inspire a personal interaction with the pieces and provide an opportunity for thoughtful physical and psychological interactions. Please feel free to touch and interact with the books, view the screen and log onto the web-space.

Technology is the fulcrum of each piece. It enables the amplification of the situation, and at times, widens the split between what is happening internally in the viewer and what may be experienced in the immediate environment. I chose to examine this by utilizing contemporary communication technologies in the forms of video, web-cam and surveillance cameras. Through interaction with these sculptures, I hope to amplify a deeper awareness of the technological impact and potential on our lives.

This artwork is intended to challenge ideas of the unique place, time and levels of reality driven by various systems. This residency has truly been a part of a major journey that I am undertaking. I have seen tremendous changes in my life recently and these changes are intertwined with these pieces. This project has been challenging in numerous ways, and through those challenges I have learned and grown.

Feel free to engage on your own journey. I hope this artwork and exhibition will be a catalyst for personal thought and discovery that enhances your personal journey and potential.

Expectation. Translation. Situation. Potential.