Steve Whittlesey (1962)

My work begins by searching through the rubble and debris of old New England sites. Most of the materials I find (I think of them as orphans) are considered worthless by market standards for detritus and salvage. I look for the stories that old materials and relics tell about themselves and the people who owned them, and the qualities these objects have that allow them to endure. I turn my time-worn findings into signifying elements of new structures which challenge ideas about function and the way we appoint our shelters. In the process, I question our nostalgic views of the past, our romantic expectations for the future, and our discomfort with the present. Privacy, intimacy, and shared space, as well as simplicity of material and construction, are at the center of my approach. My work is more about physical and emotional comfort than decor, style, and perceived value. The structures I create are meant to be collapsible and easily portable. They have the potential to be temporary.