Through traditional textile pattern-making and a propensity for science fiction, my work conjures up the organic and the engineered. Derived from the Rattan Palm, the core material becomes reference to both plant and body. Although considered handicrafts, the sculptures transform their fibrous nature to create a mysterious uniformity, evocative of a digital reproduction or artificially generated form.
Evoking a sensitivity for touch and reflection, the sculptures patch together intimate objects like modern talismans, augmented scholar’s rocks, and coded tapestries.
Austin Ballard lives and works in Ridgewood, NY.