Biography
Seth Birch is an American artist who grew from rural roots in a small town in Ohio. This instilled a love for nature and natural materials. Growing up the younger of two brothers, he got used to second hand-me-downs. From a blue collar family he had ample space and common items to pass the time. Starting with sticks and tee-pees moving to origami creations, and to a final love of duct-tape these helped soothe him as family tensions grew. Always deconstructing and trying to reconstruct in new and different ways with the imagination led him to wanting to always be creative.
During his time during primary education he participated in Destination Imagination where these creative urges were allowed to be freely expressed. Going all the way to Global Finals, where he go the meet people from around the world. Thus sparking a undying interest in other people and cultures. A passion he still explores through today. Graduating from high school he was pressured into pursuing a degree in STEM, realizing that he did not want to do computer science for the rest of his life, he enrolled through the encouragement of his mentor for the art curriculum. Finally after getting the requirements completed for a minor in Computer Science, he then focused on his path in art.
Through the Windgate Fellowship Seth got the experience a Sculptural steel workshop at Arrowmont School of Art and Craft. This fueled his love for sculpture and working on a large scale. To experience more culture he enrolled in the FU-Best study abroad program in Berlin, Germany; where he developed a deeper connection to learning more art history. Inspired to learn more, Seth has done many trips visiting various museums around Europe and making connections to the people. Finalizing his studies with a Bachelors of Art in Sculpture from Xavier University with a project titled “Consumed”, an installation themed around media overconsumption.
After his studies he took a Fused glass workshop at Peters Valley School of Craft. Seth continues to learn new practices and methods to better suit his brand of story-telling. He is at current an artist in residence at PILOTENKUECH in Leipzig, Germany.
Artist Statement
I create to heal my mind, body, and soul. I use my curiosity to find ways of expressing stories and feelings from an overactive mind. Never stopping, never quiet; my stream of consciousness brings to light my past fears, future hopes, and the present uncertainty. Telling stories and sparking conversations through art are my guiding line through darker human experiences and intrusive thoughts. Using a larger scale helps me get the idea into the world on a human size, being more interactive and relatable for people to imprint into my art. I am driven by the materials and their meaning on the art as well as their future repercussions just as all interactions shape our futures whether we see ahead or not.
My multidisciplinary approach to my art allows me to heal through learning while expressing the final art in the appropriate medium. Whether fabric for the analogy to the human being, concrete to express the unchanging, or paper to symbolize the opposite. I want people to come away with a deeper understanding of their emotions. Also wanting to create a dialogue with open ends as these are fundamental mysteries to the human condition. I aspire to create more interactive installations exploring the human condition. I take inspiration from many aspects of my life, science, history, and philosophy influencing a deep yearning to learn more about the world and adding to my practice. Film, music, and personal experiences are at the heart of my art as these are stories. Stories I believe are powerful in their effect on the human spirit.
Grappling with past trauma through my art is healing the same way stories help heal through relatability and empathy. While our experience is unique, there is a high chance someone else has shared the same fate as you. My art aims to unlock that empathy and healing in others alongside myself.