Stephen Dorsett "Transmutation" plastic bottle & other objects reclaimed from waste stream, acrylic
Stephen Dorsett
Stephen Dorsett has a B.S. in studio art from Murray State University, a M.A.T. in art education from Eastern Kentucky University, and a M.A. in school counseling from the University of the Cumberlands. Dorsett lives in Lexington, KY and showed in 2021 with garner narrative as part of the Louisville Photo Biennial. Here is a Q&A about how he makes landscapes from consumer waste.
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artist statement
Inner Landscapes is an exploration of the human emotional terrain, brought to life through miniature landscape dioramas crafted from recycled materials. Each piece, from cathartic volcanos to soothing islands, represents an emotional state within my own internal landscape. To animate these sculptures, I turn to photography. It not only breathes life into these pieces; it highlights the emotional lens through which I view these natural scenes.
The materials in my work echo the emotions we often discard or ignore. By transforming consumer waste into representations of natural environments, I engage in a form of spiritual recycling, instilling meaning in the discarded and overlooked. These sculpted environments symbolize the intricacies of my own emotional landscapes, and provide a glimpse into essential aspects of the human condition. A waterfall's ever-changing nature mirrors fluctuating thoughts and moods. The passage from a cave to the outside world signifies the transition from ignorance to having an informed understanding, while the intensity of the desert sun encapsulates potent emotional states such as grief, ecstasy, and acute anxiety.
My creative process also underscores the wider implications of overconsumption, a symptom of our failure to recognize value within ourselves and meaning in our lives. When we can’t find sufficient worth and meaning internally, we often seek it in material possessions and various forms of consumer media. This pursuit can lead to excess which threatens our mental health as well as the environment. Inner Landscapes invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between their own emotional terrains and their consumption habits.
artist statement
Inner Landscapes is an exploration of the human emotional terrain, brought to life through miniature landscape dioramas crafted from recycled materials. Each piece, from cathartic volcanos to soothing islands, represents an emotional state within my own internal landscape. To animate these sculptures, I turn to photography. It not only breathes life into these pieces; it highlights the emotional lens through which I view these natural scenes.
The materials in my work echo the emotions we often discard or ignore. By transforming consumer waste into representations of natural environments, I engage in a form of spiritual recycling, instilling meaning in the discarded and overlooked. These sculpted environments symbolize the intricacies of my own emotional landscapes, and provide a glimpse into essential aspects of the human condition. A waterfall's ever-changing nature mirrors fluctuating thoughts and moods. The passage from a cave to the outside world signifies the transition from ignorance to having an informed understanding, while the intensity of the desert sun encapsulates potent emotional states such as grief, ecstasy, and acute anxiety.
My creative process also underscores the wider implications of overconsumption, a symptom of our failure to recognize value within ourselves and meaning in our lives. When we can’t find sufficient worth and meaning internally, we often seek it in material possessions and various forms of consumer media. This pursuit can lead to excess which threatens our mental health as well as the environment. Inner Landscapes invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between their own emotional terrains and their consumption habits.
