What value can be had in a world that is intrinsically ephemeral? That which we have built and invested in is ultimately susceptible to change over time. Our buildings crumble, our tools age, our bodies decay. We repair and maintain these things as they are, but without this conscious effort, all things inevitably fall apart. If nothing is observably eternal, where do we draw meaning from?

            For me, it took several jobs of menial labor and maintenance to come to a satisfactory answer. Hundreds of hours sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing different environments until they become pristine. These are tasks often thought of as mindless and repetitive, and they first appeared to me as an exercise in futility. I had the thought that I imagine many others have had. Why clean this space if it is only going to get dirty again? Why push the boulder up the hill if it is only to fall back down? It took a fair amount of time of engaging with this query before my mind began to settle, and I realized that the value of the work came out as I realized these acts were in tune with the flow of time. It was active involvement in the process that gave it meaning.

            The prints in this series are an exploration of this idea, although instead of cleaning, my effort goes to making intentionally ephemeral art. In terms of material, what I present to the viewer is relatively mundane. They are simply loose particles of dust and pigment. But the historical value is revealed through the presentation and the work involved to achieve it. My process of gathering, refining, and laying out the dust is demanding of both time and energy. The designs require a great amount of investment as I carefully choose colors and visual languages which invoke a sense of material value to contrast with the general understanding of dust being a prosaic substance.

            As people approach my work, I hope to invite them to consider the value that is imposed on it and how it relates to time, both past and present. As the historical value is informed by the past, the immediate value comes from its fragile state in the present. Because of this, people are encouraged to take more time to appreciate the moment of viewing. After I lay the final layer of the work, I am no longer present with it. The meaning I impose on it is gone once work is completed, and I release it to the viewer to be present with it and discover a new meaning.