Phantom Thoughts, Surreal Dreams: A Journey Through Organizational Dysfunction

Abstract

The sculpture for my Master of Fine Arts exhibition represents some of the memories resulting from nearly thirty years of military service, and is inspired by observations of absurd, ironic and haunting experiences. My art interprets and repurposes imagery found in military heraldry, vehicles weapon’s and the mundane in order to create a visual narrative. It is partially inspired by dysfunctional units, toxic leadership and lack of soldier care, which is still found all too often in military organizations. The methods used to unify the works and to convey meaning to the viewer consist primarily of cast bronze, cement, the olive drab color of many elements, and the repetition of the phrase “Front Toward Enemy”, thereby rhetorically questioning just who the enemy is.