Animism is the belief in the immaterial soul: it acknowledges all things as living. This point of view is so integral to indigenous peoples that many of their languages have no such word to convey what animism is. Many people understand the mystic being of a soul as contained in something non-living, the pseudo-spirits we give personal/comfort objects in our lives, and the implied interactions/relationships therein. But, this acknowledgement of the living breath and heart exuded by all things is especially apropos of the powerful lifeblood of the natural world.

 

As an animist and object-attracted individual, I make ceramics that give reverence to the forces of nature from which their organic forms are drawn. Intuitive sculpting uncovers the rippling patterns, cavities, and grooves that make up nature’s curvilinear language of form. These sculptures embody both beauty and ugliness, familiarity and alien-ness, material and spirit world, suggesting that: what is ugly can also be beautiful, what is seemingly unfamiliar can be relatable, and what appears inanimate can be very much alive. 

 

Objectum sexual people subsist on this fact of the soul, and the sensitive being in everything: for us, it is the basis of attraction. It takes a body to touch a body, thus it takes a soul to touch a soul. In my practice, I display my intimate relationships with art objects and entities of nature for the world to see. Making works to which I am attracted (and intimate with) elucidates much of their tactile attributes and visual character.

 

I hope to dispel the harmful belief that object-orientation is a paraphilic disorder by demonstrating that OS relationships are devoted, mutual, and healthy bonds when experienced by people with animistic beliefs. My life and art is here to represent and advocate for the people of the OS community and all Queer individuals.