Sentiments
There are two things I wish I had more of in this life: time and words.
I want more minutes to savor moments. I want the language for everything I have ever felt. And yet, time never slows and the only words you can use are the ones that you know.
This exhibition is my attempt to pause and express sentiments I have never been able to communicate. What originally began as a way to pay homage to the inherent beauty of the natural world, eventually resulted in an expression of self, time, and the collective. My work shows my love for and connection to nature and how the moments we spend in those spaces are fleeting.
Every piece relays back to a specific site, whether it be a stream or trail. They are rooted not only in the reoccurring forms found in these locations, but my core memory of each place and the human figure. By having the work relay back to a particular location, at a particular time, I hope to remember the space as it was in the moments I spent there. I share these with you so they no longer exist in isolation in my mind, but rather in a place where you can relive that time with me.
Each work contains material collected from their specific site, such as leaves, stones, or branches. Along with the found objects, each piece has components of wax, alluding to both time and preservation. As these sites are places you do not know, I have incorporated all of these elements with the intention for you to better envision the space I was in.
The pedestals that support the sculptural work are wrapped in canvas repurposed from the ceramic studio here in Ebert. It holds marks from my own hand and many other artists. It has taken years for the material to arrive at this state, communicating a passage of time and a communal effort.
When viewing my work, perhaps you have your own locations these pieces remind you of, furthering the notion that the experiences we have in nature are not unique to the individual, but something we share collectively. I hope it shows how special it is for us to exist here together, in this place, at this time.
Emma Staggs ‘24
Advisor: Bridget Murphy Milligan
All images copyright © 2024 Emma Staggs. All rights reserved.
