My work re-cycles and re-contextualizes the physical qualities of natural materials. What does it mean to build with burnt wood, to draw with corroded steel, or to create a chair out of paper? Through a process of sincere consideration of each material’s specificity, I “misuse” materials to undermine their structural and metaphorical integrity. Physical materials have physical constraints that demand the same openness and attention essential to practicing tolerance.  Art is a vehicle to practice tolerance. I define tolerance as the immersion of the self into otherness. The tolerant attitude I bring to my materials and artistic process mirrors the attitude I hope to bring to my relationships outside the studio in the world, where the risks are higher. Immersing myself into otherness requires mistake-making, introspection, and maintenance. The notion of consistency over time becomes the asymptote— how might quantity be just as much a form of love as quality, and what cracks em...