Carlson Margret

1981, USA
2005 ISC, International Sculptur Center Student Award Winner artist in residence programm art-st-urban, Winner 2006


«...I am passionate about creating work that offers people a chance to get a sense of their own lives. I often use material that is present in our everyday lives. These materials may not have value, but they are a part of our daily experiences. I am ­interested in using these materials to trigger memories or create sensations that are present within the ­viewer. Each person has within their own experiences, ­opportunities to expand their view of the world around them...»

My work is a celebration of the phenomenal discoveries embedded in everyday life. This celebration is of both positive and negative experiences; we learn invaluable lessons from both, lessons which teach us about ourselves. I develop ideas for art based on the experiences of a community or an individual within a community and collect materials of that contain memories about their history. Though the materials I collect are in our everyday settings, I manipulate those recognizable objects until they create a cohesive surface. Though the materials change form to become part of a pattern, they still carry their unique ­history within them. With this rhythmic process I make forms that express both the uniqueness of individual experience and the monumental experience of a whole community.

I have a great interest in ­geologic pattern; both its layers and its movement. My earlier work consists of combining geologic time and space with human time and space. I live and work with the understanding that I am part of a community. In this community my role is to help others in any way I can. I make work expressing my understanding the importance of each community, an understanding that grows with my interaction with them.
Margaret Carlson, Albuqerqe, New Mexico, USA