Karl Schwiesow

SNC and TNNUA: Karl Schwiesow  Face value Seeing the object. Literal interpretation.   Removing an object from its contextualizing surroundings or partners. Observing then contrasting and comparing. Identifying similarities and differences. See the object again for the first time. Break down the object into its smallest refined units. This is a method I use to release objects from their constraining historical and contemporary identity.

 

going to the edge

"Going to the edge" has been a phrase that has surfaced in many of my  conversations about contemporary art,  lifestyles, and passions.    I feel we can bring ourselves and our creations to precipices defined only by our imaginations.  The edge is an uncomfortable place for many, myself included.   However, it is a place that must be visited for progress to be achieved.  The edge is defined by taking a chance, pushing the envelope, as it is said.   Only by being there on the brink- at one's limit- can their be a retreat to the bountiful green pastures of the creative mind. 

 

stacked brick, glass, and steel.

   

It's true, my artistic work recently has succumbed to the joys of summer and the freedom that a warm climate offers: cycling, swimming in lakes and rivers, and socializing with friends.  Yet I still have a project or two simmering on a back burner.  The thing I realized, was that from this lackadaisical existence I could clearly see the the "edge" from which I had come.   I could now view my progress -not always forward- as an artist and a person.  This was a vantage that offered a broad scope of the landscape which I had previously been so immersed within.  From this retrospective I could conceive of new potential for existing projects and ideas as well as ways to push them further toward the an edge.  I could also see ways in which things could be moved back from the metaphorical edge to become concrete amalgamations of my experiences and beliefs and not just ideas floating through the ether.

Understanding the push and pull of the ability to create meaningful objects; the subtle balancing act that the artist must practice and research through experimentation with the medium they are choosing to work with is a life long leaning process.  It is an evolution that is tempted and driven by the edge.  

I can never stop pushing the limits of my capacity to reinterpret perception.  To me, there are a million ways to see any object and there are a million ways to use tools that create objects we see.  In turn, the product of this interpretation speaks a new language.   I relate this interaction  between the creator and object as a symbol of what the "edge" might look like.   The "edge" is a place that has never truly been explored because the imagination exists beyond the body.  To me going to the edge is about pushing the limits of ones self to interpret new and unfamiliar things in a light that brings them into cultural and personal relevance.