ABOUT THE ARTIST

BIENNALE OF SYDNEY 2004

I WAS SCARED TO DEATH /
I COULD HAVE DIED OF JOY (2000)


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SELECTED ARTWORKS

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Artist Statement, continued

... electromagnetic fields, thinking that is located somewhere between metaphor and physics.

It was clear to me that I should work with another part of the body after the hearts that were central to Charged Hearts. Like the heart, the brain fires, and it is another part of the human anatomy that is known to work electromagnetically. Since all this seemed so obvious, I resisted. However, observing what seemed to be a renewed general interest in ways to map emotion in areas as far flung as adult toys and neuroscience, I became more engaged with the brain as an electromagnetic terrain. Simultaneously, my work on Method and Apparatus for Finding Love 2000 drew me deeper into considering the notion of modeling emotion and, finally, I gave in. It was the slippage between physiology and emotion which fascinated me. As it turns out, the brain is now under study for its relation to emotion, and emotions can be 'seen' in the patterns of the brain's firing. I was scared to death / I could have died of joy - the title of this work - might suggest an ecstasy of emptiness, or a simultaneous seduction between two extremes, rapture and fear.