Guerrilla Hearts • Artist Statement
The heart is a mysterious yet universal symbol which has sadly been overused and consequently trivialized in this past century - particularly in North American popular culture. In traditional cultures throughout the world however, it speaks of our life centre, our vital principle, our essence. To many, the heart expresses the home of the higher mind, the foundation of the human intellect - of knowing and being, intuition and spirit. It represents the seat of wisdom and is our guide, our consciousness and our memory.
The Guerrilla Hearts are an attempt to reclaim these deeper meanings and to understand our place in the greater scheme of things. Because of its physical movements of expansion and contraction, the heart also becomes a symbol of the similar movements of the universe. In this sense, it embodies both our hopes (in its expansion) and our fears (through contraction). This movement is reflected in the ephemeral nature of the Guerrilla Hearts. They erupt into being to find their full magnificence, only to be swallowed up by the world again - the inevitable contraction. It is as though the street itself breathes life into them and then takes it away.
The guerrilla aspect of the hearts is about revolution. At a time when our choices are more often than not ruled by money and fear, they arise as a gentle reminder of our own knowing - infusing the city with their deeper meaning. I don't necessarily see these hearts as my own creation. Each one seems to reveal itself to me and I merely make it visible in the world. As they emerge from a specific location, it is the surrounding environment that dictates the materials and approach making each heart unique and respectful to its location. They take people by surprise. To stumble upon a heart in full expansion creates an immediate visceral experience which leaves a sense of joy and hope. It is my dream to see these hearts around the world infecting everyone who comes across them in just this manner.
