Interminable

Bio:

Ellen Sisti is a contemporary artist, CAD designer and educator based in the Philadelphia area. Sisti received her MFA in Metals/Jewelry CAD-CAM from Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 2021 and her BFA in Interdisciplinary Object Design from Towson University in 2019. While there, she also was selected as a Towson University Fellow at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. Sisti was published in the Current Obsession Paper for Munich Jewelry Week 2021 and 2019 SNAG Jewelry and Metals Survey.

Artist Statement:

“I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.” - William Morris Morris’s perspective is at the foundation of my work and vision as a creator. In addition to art, education, and freedom, however, I believe that everyone should have access to the technology, especially at a time when technological literacy is becoming essential to social engagement, individual development, and survival. My work uses a variety of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing processes to articulate fundamental forms, like the vessel. I believe that, by adopting the digital language of today to communicate forms, with which, we have interacted for centuries, I am creating a bridge to understanding the digital world. In essence, I am allowing the viewer to move from the known to the unknown. I see my work as a modern interpretation of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the 1800’s. This movement, arising against a backdrop featuring increased industrialization and straying away from traditional craft, sought to fight against the cheap, distasteful designs of the time. Hallmarks of the movement included simplicity of form and truth to material. Additionally, artists, like William Morris, insisted creators be involved in both the designing and manufacturing processes. Though I use the tools and technology of today in my process, my work speaks to the core beliefs of the Arts and Crafts Movement. I strive to showcase the materials and craft in their most raw and unaltered state, often leaving reminders of the process, like 3D print support structures, in the final piece. The use of simplistic form language serves to highlight the materials and craft of the object, and to create a bridge to understanding the processes involved in making it. In the same way that the Arts and Crafts Movement stated that, “good design is for all,” I am stating that the technological tools of today are for all. This work exists, not only to adorn the spaces in which we exist, but also to challenge our notions of possibility and give access to often sequestered digital tools.