TORIN PORTER

Torin Porter has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout New England and in New York city. His passion for sculpture has its roots in early experiences. Born in 1969 in northeastern Vermont where he grew up next door to the Bread & Puppet Theater. While performing with this theater, he was influenced by the sculptural masks and puppets interacting with the landscape and audience. Torin received his B.A. in Studio Art from Dartmouth College where he began exploring the possibilities of hands-on steel sculpture, and outdoor installations. He also toured internationally as a stilt dancer with the MOMIX dance company which uses props in combination with the human body to create moving sculptural experiences. More recently he has created sculptural performance events for Phish’s outdoor concerts, large-scale sculptures for the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee, and served as Props Master for Circus Smirkus.

I am drawn to forms that explore humanness as it exists in the imagination. Whether human figures are absent or present, I see an emphasis on humanity as the unifying aspect of my work—humanity as it relates to its inventions, to nature, and to itself.

I make sculpture because I am interested in engaging people in real-space, real-time interactions. I used to make paintings, but I found that I began painting out the backgrounds. I only wanted a central, single image; and then I wanted it free from the blanked canvas so there would be no distractions and it would be as immediately present to us as possible. I wanted it to really exist—I wanted it to be sculpture.

I like to work in steel and wood because they are strong materials associated with hand-made objects that have a specific purpose. I think of each sculpture as a kind of tool or toy for creating a dialogue within the viewer. As we move around a sculpture or move it around in our hands, our view of it is constantly changing. It is not a fixed, idealized vision existing out of our reach. Instead, it responds to our movements and perspectives. It is by our exploration of a sculpture that its story reveals itself and we become part of that story.