Lance Sinnema - Artist
Monument #1Monument #1Monument #2Monument #2Monument #3Monument #3Monument #4Monument #4Cells (Spiral)Cells (Spiral) DetailCells (Spiral) DetailCells (Spiral) DetailBell #1Bell #2
2009
My work right now tends to be about deformation. Whether I am dealing with functional shapes or the human figure, there is a certain amount of deforming that happens. I try to deal with this change in the form in a humorous or ironic manner. I suppose that part of what I am interested in is the eternal debate between form and function. I like the idea of creating objects that appear to be functional but which have some sort of complicating factor. By deforming the surface I try to push the form away from function and towards something more visually interesting. There is the tendency to see the bumps as tumors or disease, which is another idea that I enjoy. I see the deformation of the bowls, cylinders, and canisters as similar to the way cancer attacks the cells of the body. Cancer highjacks the cells, changing their function and making them grow in unnatural ways. By introducing cancers to my forms, I hope to push the viewer to think about how little change something needs to undergo to be transformed from a functional object to something that may be formally interesting and slightly disturbing. I believe that in general, we are drawn to things that disturb us. I am not looking to make objects that are beautiful, just interesting, different, and slightly disturbing.