Kevin Andrew Kraus
Artist Statement
I believe the skyscraper represents a dichotomy in our society that brings
people together but also separates them among social standings. On the
one hand, the skyscraper represents human ingenuity at its finest. We are
able
to create space in an overpopulated world where there are no limits. However,
the skyscraper is also a piece of real estate, representing the ever-increasing
chasm between wealth and poverty that grows wider every day.
I use the company RAMJAC in the titles of my buildings to emphasize the overwhelming
wealth that is controlled by so few people in our society. In his novel Jailbird,
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. uses the name for a giant conglomerate which accounts for
twenty percent of the American economy. My buildings are inventions of my own
and not elements of the novel, but they serve as examples of how much wealth
can be controlled by one person or persons through monopolistic acts, despite
the fact that the separation of wealth perpetuates much greater problems for
a far greater percentage of the population.
In my furniture, I use formal elements of western architecture, such as space, scale and proportion, to create a more intimate, yet still functional relationship we have with the modern skyscraper. I relate their particular function with their architectural style through the use of surface patinas, texture and color. I also sometimes use the architectural style of Roger Brown to further emphasize the dichotomy in a cynical, humorous way. By building on Vonnegut's fictional conglomerate, I am attempting to show my audience the dichotomy of what are normally only considered feats of human ingenuity and creativity and revealing the disproportionate amount of wealth they really represent.