In Search of a New Metaphor — Shelley Chamberlin

Solo Show, May 2010

From the simplicity of the view of a tree branch moving in the wind to the intricacies of our clumsy human expressions of love and loss, I am enthralled with moments of poignant ephemeral beauty and the ways we learn to understand and talk about them.

I have been exploring the embodiment of metaphor in object. There are days for me when the view of a bridge or a passing train can become so imbued with meaning that it becomes more metaphor than object.

Artmaking is, for me, about seeking the place where disillusionment meets enchantment and the moment of revelation that arises from such a meeting. It is a little bit like falling, like flying. It is an experience of connection, of vulnerability, of honesty.

At the core of my artmaking practice is the reverence for relationship, engagement, and connection. I am struck by the way any two or more elements interact with each other, reflect upon one another, and through mere contact, are changed at their deepest level. It is this mark, the simultaneous catalyst and artifact of this transformation that I am seeking.