How do one of your totem poles begin?
David Welch:They begin as a mental sketch. Then I gather materials and start stacking. Location is important. Then I simply build them.
TMN:Which of the photographs best connects with objects you personally find meaningful?
DW:All of them, really. The work is both comment and confession, so the items represent personal consumption as well.
TMN:What’s your favorite appliance around the house?
DW:Coffee-bean grinder.
TMN:When are you afraid?
DW:Nothing makes me more nervous than those moments before a commercial shoot. Portraits, too. I have too many expectations.
TMN:Do you consider yourself a sculptor?
DW:Not yet.
TMN:When was the last time you looked at a piece of someone else’s art and were confused?
DW:I just saw two Calder mobiles at a private residence today and was a bit disappointed. Then a nice breeze entered the house which quickly changed my opinion!
TMN:Aldous Huxley wrote, “If war, waste, and moneylenders were abolished, you’d collapse.”
DW:It’s all precarious, like one of my totems. But, also an illusion; you can choose when, where, and how to participate.
