SQU!RE

I love to create objects and experiences that leave people inspired, uplifted, with their spirits renewed. Leaning on vibrant colors and geometry (especially the repetition and tessellation of shapes) my projects avoid politics and speak directly to the human experience. Basic shapes and bold colors are a language that transcend culture, age, gender, etc. We seem to have a primal and intimate understanding of these things. They are fundamental and hardwired into our DNA, making them both instantly accessible and profound.

Much of my work is ‘participatory’—meaning it is not truly complete until it is engaged with in some more meaningful way than mere passive observation. This can be through touching the work, writing on it, reconfiguration, climbing on it, decoding it, etc. Sometimes the participation is before the piece is created in the form of local community engagement.

Due to my background in performing arts, I incorporate a lot of storytelling in my work. Sometimes this is through text, quotes and poems. Sometimes it is more of a visual discovery and unfoldment for the participant. With The Honey Trap, from afar it appears as an 86’ long Fibonacci spiral. Upon approach, it is discovered to be occupiable interlocking hexagons. And finally, inside a cell one discovers messages and images left by other participants, sharing ideas through time with visitors unseen. Each distance reveals something new, tells a story, develops an experience.

My new work takes everything I’ve learned in my three-dimensional sculptures and translates it into smaller, more compressed planes. Through the use of laser cutting, toner foiling, vinyl plotting, collage and so on, And not Or has a lot of depth and discovery using only everyday paper. The project considers the nature of love. I once heard that love is always ‘and’ not ‘or’ because love by its very nature is inclusive. This is embodied with the repetition of the ampersand symbol. Some are bright with organized with sharp lines, some chaotic and torn. Each is a unique expression. Taken together the viewer is present to the individuality, self-expression and unity that love offers us. The final piece of the project is a message hidden in plain sight through the use of morse code. The viewer transforms into a participant by decoding this message and discovering the project’s pinnacle idea.

I look forward to bringing hope, joy and celebration to the Long Beach Community. My life’s motto is “To make wonder, and wonderful.”

www.SquireDane.com