Artist Statement sort of thing

Just handed in my studio, and this is what I put up next to my work.
Gotta hand in theory tomoro so Ill upload studio photos soooooon :)

Stephanie O’Neale
(Currently Untitled)
2010
In our fast paced and technologically dependent world I feel that we are losing a connection with our physical selves and the tactile relationship with our environment that was once so central to daily life. The body has become passive in many circumstances; merely a vessel that carries out tasks that engage mainly our mental presence, and where bodily experience is second-place.

I want to encourage people to play, to enjoy engaging with objects for the pure satisfaction of that sole activity, to reconnect with the environment in a way that is physical.
These days time is valued by the production one can generate, how much one can ‘get done’ in a certain time frame. Pleasure-seeking activities are rarely seen as ‘productive’ and so are less valued, often considered a ‘waste of time’. Yet I see these activities as being some of the most important to embrace; star gazing, walking, daydreaming, picking up shells on the beach, tree climbing…
In this fast paced world it is easy lose ourselves, our sense of self and how we exist in relation to the world around us. Technology has sped daily life up so much that we struggle keep up and adjust; just as we get used to one new concept or idea or product, another is developed.

Through my work I want to enable an experience; that experience one gets when completely immersed in an activity, engrossed in an act of play, of leisure. Where time is lost and the body and the mind are simultaneously involved.
This semester I have created a system. A system of interconnecting components that can be combined, connected, reassembled, reconfigured…limitless possibilities are available if one allows themselves to become engrossed in the activity and enjoy the freedom of play. The system combines both precious materials and non-precious materials, a sort of jewellery toy for adults.

Most of the components are ambiguous in function so that the user can create whatever they please…wearable or not.
This is a system I am going to keep developing in my final semester. There are a lot of avenues still to investigate and follow, and I am still enjoying working out new ideas and new things I can do to extend the concept.

This has been a hard semester but I have come out on top, with an idea I am really happy with and that I am really enjoying making and… playing with.