Nathaniel Atkinson

My work is an attempt to understand location’s impact on the individual and how the surrounding landscape integrates itself into my own identity. Through the investigation of moments of lived experience, I create pieces that showcase how inherent physical qualities of landscape influence those who live there. By considering remnants from memories of my own experiences, I explore the construction of my identity and use this understanding of self to more accurately understand my place within my location, community, and my contribution to both.

Location is not only the physical surroundings individuals interact with in their daily life, but also the atmosphere of the community held within these spaces, the landscape in which the development of identity takes place. Location supplies memories of lived experiences that shape my perspective on the world, but it also provides the materials at my disposal. By working with what I am given, the resources that exist within my surroundings, I respond directly to the space I inhabit. These materials might include the timber that grows, the sights to behold, or the inclinations held by the residents of the landscape. In working with these resources, I naturally adhere to the processes of making affiliated with these materials. These processes require time to learn and understand and by doing so I gain the ability to shape and mold my materials to my intent. There is a balance that lies between what I am given and what I make of it and finding that balance is another lived experience in itself. An experience that reveals the interconnectedness between location and maker.

Each moment I pursue within my work provides countless more moments spent learning and developing my perspective on my surrounding landscape. In knowing the roots of these perspectives and the location that provides them, I work towards a more holistic understanding of my identity, idea of self, and development as a maker.