Desi Liversage
Declaration
Artist and Bricoleur
I am a bricoleur who delights in quiet subversion. A bricoleur collects stuff in case it comes in handy. My lifelong compulsions of hoarding and social activism have entwined to become my method of working. I am home. I subscribe to de Certeau’s assertion that bricolage is a tactic by which I can manipulate cultural and consumer detritus. I work almost exclusively with these collections of found objects, which I alter with craft techniques, mostly stitch, knitting and crochet. In this way I operate against the grain of establishment art. A degree of subversion lies within in using underrated and demeaned craft media. This subversion is important to me as a means of turning my western settler guilt into a tangible form of subtle protest. I like reworking meaning in a story (either personal or social), by deconstructing mainstream narratives about the world as a subversive tactic. My process is one of slow, obsessive contemplative deliberation. How long each piece takes is crucial to the process – the fourth dimension of time. This is underlaid with a depth of research, both formal and informal. I read, mull, think and experiment as part of my research process. Both my process and materials make me a resourceful and often playful and pointed artist.
