[New Orchid Gallery] Audra Schoblocher

Audra Schoblocher

My research consists of art history, archaeology, and anthropology
as a means of collecting data of personal interest which is
translated into volumetric sculptures. My interest investigates the
ancient cultures and the activities that have informed their life
styles and technologies with the main focus on domestics. A great
deal of my interests in historical technologies were sparked in
college classes and a European trip early in my career. However,
much is to be said about the unique experience that I had as a child
growing up in a dwelling built by my great-grand father and passed
down through the generations, with many of the commodities left in
tact for me to experience. This experience is reflected in the
archaeological familiarity of my sculptures.

I enjoy the process of exploring metal, as it is a place to deposit
a message or expression of an emotion; much like writing in a diary.
There is an undeniable mark left upon the surface of the metal
indicating a level of agile movement that works with the metal’s
malleability to be folded, stretched and compressed into volumetric
forms, which play upon the line within to create a visual dance of
movement. Whenever possible, I work with primitive technologies that
lend themselves to a hands on approach to stay in tune with the
material’s immediate properties.