Piston

Concepts and ideas are what drive my creative work, whether I am making visual art or writing. I require a narrative or an idea upon which to hang the aesthetics. That’s one reason I was initially drawn to collage, with its startling power to illustrate the intangible. Collage allows me to give important elements their due, excise the insignificant, and re-create the world according to my own vision. I use fragments to create a whole, solid, and honest picture of the world.

While I still work with the stitched textile collage medium, a shift has caused me to look at other ways to express ideas. That modulation has led me to investigate sculptural forms, specifically those based on garments. Conceptualizing the Kevlar Kimono, with its many layers of meaning and controversial subject matter, was the first indication that I needed to defect – at least for a time ­– from collage. The ideas behind that piece were simply too big to be contained in a small framed artwork.

Whatever the topic and form of my work, I’m looking to ground those abstract ideas in the senses, giving the viewer enough clues within my work to expose him or her to an idea, or recall an experience or memory, much like a childhood matching game. Not everyone will take the time to look closely and understand, but those are the artworks I seek to create and to view.

— Darcy Falk

(Photo by John Running)