Katie Shulman

Lives and works in Syracuse, NY, USA

Artist statement

I make fiber-based sculpture and installations through a choreographed process. My inclination towards repetitive actions has provided a framework for my making habits. Actions like tearing, knitting and wrapping establish a physical cadence that is reminiscent of movement patterns that have been imprinted in my body from years of competitive rowing. My process begins by preparing materials, which is the equivalent to warming up at crew practice. I continually return to the procedures that I establish. It is within this preparation ritual that the form of the work starts to take shape. Besides preparation, the other pillar of my studio practice is sourcing materials including elastic bra strapping, discarded bedsheets, clothing and objects which are either found or gifted to me. Most of the materials I work with are used and they position my practice as one that aims to respond to and reflect my immediate surroundings. Additionally, these materials, embedded with histories or suggestions of human behavior, allow me to imbue abstracted forms with characteristics that suggest a body. I aim to depict the body’s malleable action through the manipulation of fiber and objects. There are parallels between my studio practice and Contact Improvisation, a mode of dance that establishes different kinds of movement through experimentation by first connecting intimately with every inch of the body. Avenues that lead to physical expansion through this type of dance is only revealed...

Artwork