statement / biography

brian kritzman

Statement:

I have lived and worked in and around Detroit for my entire life. As I have matured, my view of the city and desires for its future have matured as well. I understand the importance of not forcing a singular view. Through this understanding I have been able to release my historically based notion of the city and am prepared to embrace a future that is continually mutating. I have thought of this process as active unknowing. My work also questions what one might think the obvious known is. I believe that when one is convinced they know, one is usually closed to other possibilities. In my most recent life I have worked with many others at Wayne State University (my home university). I have worked with faculty and students from the Anthropology, Engineering and Business colleges and departments. Additionally I have found similar minded people in China at Shanghai University.

While I do not understand the exact nature of my work within these various communities, I do know that the very nature of my work has led me to them. As an educator and maker of objects I am hopeful that this is the community that my work will continue to resound and ultimately provide a positive impact for.

Biography:

My investigation into the realm of spatial experience began with the humble desire to learn the craft of traditional furniture building. This act, at once physical and theoretical, reflects a desire to affect the places where people live by creating objects that shape and determine the human environment. Such an endeavor is limited. It was this realization that lead to my decision to study for the MFA.

Study for the MFA allowed me to approach the problem of building meaning in its largest and most profound context. Among other things, I was forced to consider the issues of how people receive and interpret the visual data of the world around us, and how, having accepted that data, they interpret physical existence. In so doing, I have concluded that our history with objects, both intimate and social, not only adds to the way we see, but also contributes to our greater aesthetic experience.

Continued study has resulted in a hybrid between designed environments and experimental object making. Within this approach to the design discipline experimental objects that focus on building meaning often become the starting place for commercial environments. My reputation is for creating the conceptual framework for an environmental project. By synthesizing a client’s desired message I am able to design architectural elements that provide a sensual and meaningful environment.

My work has moved freely between objects, environments and drawings all with the end desire of building meaning. My most recent work is an attempt to document an unknown space.