Shelter Shift

Phil Vander Weg

Kalamazoo, Mich.

I have returned to a monolithic, generic, house-like form in my sketchbooks for several years. Those musings either were non-specific in terms of scale and media, or varied considerably. They seem to have the capacity for me to communicate on a number of levels and serve as metaphors to other creative ambitions. The ability to transform the geometric "house" to a "boat" and the resulting interpretative changes interest me.

The shelter shift series, references a "house/shelter" form we find in childhood drawings, adult abbreviations for: home, shed, barn and a long list of enclosed domestic forms. It is intentionally designed with few right angles. It has shifted, or is askew. The intent is to confuse spatial perceptions and to create ambiguity, or duality of perceived space. Evident color transparency supports that illusion. Collaborative projects of scale afford important opportunities for me to explore more "public" art issues and functions. Interior/exterior relationships are critical as well.

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