Shauna Fahley

My work embodies the intersection of both the compounding material and subject, clay and horse. It is not my goal to illustrate the romantic or heroic image of the horse. Instead, I aim to reconfigure the equine icon as a vehicle for understanding empathy beyond ourselves and the animal, but the greater consciousness of humanity. I am deconstructing the equestrian monument, making it without a position of power or a dominant figure. I am exploring large equine forms in a modern context as an archaic remix to interpret and critique the past while existing in the present. The horse's body relative to the viewers is a powerful experience that brings us outside ourselves. With the life-size scale of my work, I invite the viewer to take the time to investigate. I seek to restore an awareness of how humans communicate and influence each other with our actions. I am dissecting the monument as a symbol in culture while at the same time bringing my understanding and experience with the horse as a sentient.   

Clay catalogs sensory information offered through an artist's hand. The memory that clay holds from the intuitive response of human contact is central to my process. The tacit dialogue I experience while working with clay parallels my understanding of the body language between horse and rider. I must be alert and ready to respond to the physical changes both horse and clay go through. Horseback riding requires me to develop an awareness for movement and a feel for things internally, not just visually. My seat in the saddle is not a passive experience. Using my seat and legs, I am sensitive to how the horse moves. I can feel which feet are hitting the ground, and I can identify which muscles are being engaged.