Artist Statement:

The Nest of Secret Scratchings

As a performance and installation artist, Carolyn Ryder Cooley is engaged in a process of developing emotionally driven narrative spaces for viewers to enter into and explore. Abandoned places, found objects and the mysterious lives of animals and insects inform her work. Her creative practice is multi-faceted, ranging from painting to installation, from music to film/video. She loves to explore, collect things and invent fantasy narratives based on everyday occurrences. Stains, frays and evidence of time are beautiful to her. By using old and layered materials, she endeavors to engage viewers on multi-sensory levels that alter their experience of time and place.