![Maker/Material, An Assortment of Steam Bent Works [Senior IS exhibition by] Kevin Reiswig, April 4-9, Opening Reception 4/4/10 3-5pm, MacKenzie Gallery, The College of Wooster](/image/maker-material/flyer.jpg)
For the past eighteen months I have devoted the majority of my artistic energy to the practice of steam bending—a manipulative process in which wood is rendered malleable through its exposure to extreme heat and moisture. By utilizing wood’s natural capabilities and limitations, I craft organic sculptural forms that contradict the way we conventionally understand the material. My work involves the transformation of a natural substance that has been standardized for commercial means (i.e. milled white oak lumber) into abstract sinuous entities that embody the essence of the material.
One reason I believe I’m attracted to steam bending is that it is a curious process. True, it is more or less understandable; however, it is rarely ever predictable. A significant portion of what I do is out of my control, because the physical characteristics of wood can only be manipulated to a certain extent. I do have a significant amount of control over the wood, but this is not to say that when I push it, it does not push back. This unique interaction between artist and material is the essence and origin of my work, which is intended to stir up thoughts in the viewer about their own relationship to the natural world around them, as well as the fabricated objects they use in their day-to-day lives.