43 WHITE MEN

Inspired by the work of Daumier's small satirical political sculptures, and the hand puppets Paul Klee made for his son, I have always been intrigued by puppetry. With a theatrical and performance art background, I set out to create puppet heads from plaster. Without a clear idea of what the puppets would look like, I allowed the material to inform me, and I realized that I was now making the heads of white men -- eventually 43 white men to be exact. As I painted each one, I imagined them each sitting for a portrait. Then, working behind the camera and also manipulating the puppets, I discovered how expressive each one can be, and how empathic. And how myself, as photographer, and also as audience, began to project onto each inanimate object/puppet. The act of creating these 43 white men has given me a certain amount control, but that control easily dissolves, as each object reveals his own persona. And in relation to one another, the puppets create even more complex interactions that hint at motivations and scenes. I have also begun filming each puppet, as if they were auditioning for a role in a film project.