Thinking of the body as both a consumer and producer of energy, movement, and influence, I create work which allows me to view the space which surrounds the body as negotiable. Working in a variety of forms, I see the body as both the maker and the bearer. As I explore the patterns in which the body can create internally, I am able to see these patterns occupied externally almost immediately, allowing the movements in which the body creates to abstract these patterns into the space which surrounds them.
Safety In Error, 2020, 38 x 22 x 19 in
I am representing static as a molecule which acts as a solution to the advertisement overload capitalism has caused. A molecule which when placed against the body, is able to block the kinds of advertisement which static on a television screen also interrupts. The structural garment which covers the head blocks one’s and impairs one’s ability to hear. The stuffed arm garments block one’s ability to touch and interact with a screen. Lastly, the soft rug below completes the circuit of the body.
Safety In Error, 2020, 38 x 22 x 19 in
I am representing static as a molecule which acts as a solution to the advertisement overload capitalism has caused. A molecule which when placed against the body, is able to block the kinds of advertisement which static on a television screen also interrupts. The structural garment which covers the head blocks one’s and impairs one’s ability to hear. The stuffed arm garments block one’s ability to touch and interact with a screen. Lastly, the soft rug below completes the circuit of the body.
Burst, 2020, latex, leather, fabric, acrylic, 12 x 4 x 4(varies due to inflation of sole)
Fully constructed wearable balloon shoe complete with inflatable latex tongue, toe box and sole. Leather and latex decals on side and top panels. “Burst” Logo on side panel and inner panel
Burst, 2020, latex, leather, fabric, acrylic, 12 x 4 x 4(varies due to inflation of sole)
Fully constructed wearable balloon shoe complete with inflatable latex tongue, toe box and sole. Leather and latex decals on side and top panels. “Burst” Logo on side panel and inner panel
Preservation/Collapse, 2020, repurposed lace, wax, wire, 36 x 28 x 30 in
Preservation/ Collapse is a sculptural lamp which explores the anxiety of aging due to one’s own life decisions. Each bend and curve in the bone structure is directly impacted by my hands and the movements I have decided to create, mirroring the decisions of consumption.
W Waveland Ave Abstraction, 2021, sculpture 24 x 24 x 36 in, glass panel 42 x 24 in
Printed Mesh Fabric sewn into wearable tops and stretched over steel, stuffed mesh fabric, printed reflective black glass, printed, cut, sewn, and manipulated mask
W Waveland Ave Abstraction, 2021, sculpture 24 x 24 x 36 in, glass panel 42 x 24 in
Printed Mesh Fabric sewn into wearable tops and stretched over steel, stuffed mesh fabric, printed reflective black glass, printed, cut, sewn, and manipulated mask
Instinct/Intention, 2021, collaged yellow pages books, paint, wires, 72 x 64 in
The markers of instinct have become very limited with the lack of interaction which occurs in the state of a pandemic. The mark of one’s hands and touch is wiped away with disinfectant. One’s breath is deadly. Instinct is deemed dangerous, as it stems from human touch. However, the ability to advertise has never been easier. Upon creating this piece, I wanted to embrace instinctive tendencies in my practice. The final result is a net which hangs above my bed. Many aspects of this piece were instinctual, I trust this piece has no goal other than to exist.
Safety in Error, 2020
The surface which many interact with most is the screen. Whether it be a television screen, a smartphone, or computer, one interacts with a screen at some point in the day. As we have watched these screens develop, their ability to advertise has become more advanced, seamless, and innovative. Programs which previously did not have the capability to advertise to their users have been updated to fit in with the current business model. This progression has been drastic in the past few years, as many companies have realized that the best way to advertise their products is digital advertising. In a time where so many are forced to stay indoors due to the pandemic, this business model has become even more successful. Capitalism in America has caused many to become obsessed with consuming, causing brands to in turn speed up production. There is little escape from this constant cycle of buying, except for the time one is able to spend away from their devices. Years ago, one’s television program could be interrupted at any moment, without notice. Static is the absence of movement, action, and change. Static is a product of television, but it is not a product at all, it is quite the opposite. It interrupts content which has been designed to advertise, to suggest consumption in its viewers. When static appears on one’s screen, there is a moment for the viewer and the screen to pause. There is no interruption but the pattern which is almost entrancing. This break from constant consumption becomes a place to pause, reflect, and almost meditate on the soft sound and dynamic visual pattern.
In a more whimsical sphere, I am representing static as a molecule which acts as a solution to the advertisement overload capitalism has caused. A molecule which when placed against the body, is able to block the kinds of advertisement which static on a television screen also interrupts. The structural garment which covers the head blocks one’s and impairs one’s ability to hear. The stuffed arm garments block one’s ability to touch and interact with a screen. Lastly, the soft rug below completes the circuit of the body. The feet’s relationship to the body is very strong. Pressure points and reflexology as well as grounding techniques have been shown to aid in recovery and speed the process of healing and aiding in disease and illness. By touching this soft rug which wraps around one’s feet it causes a sensation that is similar to that of static. Static feels very similar to the way this rug feels on one’s feet, it is soft, there are multiple clusters one may feel, and it is not harsh but overwhelming in a comforting way. The rug itself can also generate static electricity as one is able to rub their socks on the rug to create this electric current, an extension of the chemical reaction. The entire body becomes a unit, with multiple molecules which are able to cause a reaction within the body. The body is the reactant for the static, it causes a response. When placed into this environment, one is able to experience existence which is uninterrupted.
Burst, 2020
Fully constructed wearable balloon shoe complete with inflatable latex tongue, toe box and sole. Leather and latex decals on side and top panels. “Burst” Logo on side panel and inner panel
Preservation/Collapse, 2020
The impermanence of beauty is troubling for many, as we seek to look youthful forever. Skin in itself is designed to age, sag, wrinkle, stretch, and pull. Many spend their lives attempting to slow the natural course of the skin with products designed to keep one youthful forever. Tales of fountains of youth and secret elixirs designed to keep one young forever have been written and reinterpreted for years. Museums showcase wax sculptures of celebrities and public figures in their prime, preserved for eternity. This wax preserves this sense of youth but also runs the risk of becoming too hot and melting down to a pool of white solid material. When wax is heated, it begins to melt and sag in the same way many are so afraid of their own skin moving. Many will even go so far to observe their own decisions; what they’re eating, drinking, consuming and the relationship these actions have to the aging process. This innate fear is explored in the story of Icarus, in which Icarus flies too close to the sun with his wings made of collected feathers and wax, resulting in his death.
Preservation/ Collapse is a sculptural lamp which explores the anxiety of aging due to one’s own life decisions. Each bend and curve in the bone structure is directly impacted by my hands and the movements I have decided to create, mirroring the decisions of consumption. The lace material is a collection of seven different pieces of fabric I have collected, patched together to create a quilt of delicate beautiful and intimate fabric. Much like the Story of Icarus, I am acting as Daedalus, Icarus’ father in collecting the material needed to then coat in wax. The lace is reminiscent of the patterns of doilies, created to preserve furniture and upholstery, knitted in beautiful intricate patterns. After the structure and material was collected, I began coating the fabric in hot liquid wax, watching it drip through the holes and coat the soft white lines. As the layers of wax began to build, the structure began to become heavy and sink into the ground. My instinct was to stop this from happening, to preserve the beauty which I sought to emulate. I attempted to reshape the frame but soon realized the wax had become too heavy. This attempt to preserve acts as a parallel to the anxiety I am discussing. My desire to preserve this piece’s beauty and delicate nature, almost youthfulness, is interrupted by the slow collapse I observe through pouring more layers of wax overtop. The light inside of the sculpture causes worry for the viewer that this piece will collapse further, the hot lightbulb causing the wax to deteriorate further, causing the piece to end in a pool of skin and bone.
W Waveland Ave Abstraction, 2021
W Waveland Ave Abstraction abstracts a store window seen in Chicago. Inspired by the landscape of the city which surrounded the window, the piece brings this pattern directly to the body, with the mirrored glass allowing one to see themselves in the pattern, the stuffed objects in the bowl as an offering of tenderness, the stuffing mirroring soft curves and folds of the body, and the wearable mesh tops stretched around steel bars mirroring the pull of the body during movement.
Instinct/Intention, 2021
There is a lack of intention in instinct. There are instinct patterns in the hand which come from a place separate from intent. Instinct becomes a place where one is free. Aim becomes cloudy at a time where many forms of media are now directed to sell products to consumers. One is often unclear of the motive of the media as advertisement has been designed to convince one to consume in a way which does not come off disruptively.
Walking around downtown Chicago, stacks of large yellow books lined the doorsteps on almost every street. Upon closer look, I noticed these books were this year’s yellow pages publication. Each yellow page directs the reader to a business or company which can supply their need to consume. The intention seems clear in this book, as the book provides contact with the business one may need. Between these yellow pages lie full page commercials which promote products. One must flip through each page carefully in order to find what they are looking for, landing on other products which catch their gaze despite having little to no interest prior. The differentiation between necessity and consumption for enjoyment becomes ambiguous. Along with other media forms which have been overtaken by promotion, one’s ability to distinguish intention has become blurry.
I abstracted this directory, collaging small pieces overtop of information to make most of the information unreadable. I ripped pages into small pieces, gluing them where they were closest too upon falling to the ground. I then drew and painted over this collage instinctually, moving where my hand took me. The final collage depicts a cluttered composition that becomes unreadable, simply a large piece of paper again. This paper is then abstracted again, by cutting this large sheet into smaller squares, varying in size. Once the squares are cut, these squares are then folded into boxes and blown up by my own breath. These boxes are then strung onto various connective wires and tied to form a netlike structure which takes its own shape due to the varying size of the boxes. The wires which connect these boxes are deemed useless, as they are not connecting anything but the paper boxes. There is no device they connect to, no wall outlet in which they receive power from. The wires are only suspended in space, making the lack of intention clear.
The markers of instinct have become very limited with the lack of interaction which occurs in the state of a pandemic. The mark of one’s hands and touch is wiped away with disinfectant. One’s breath is deadly. Instinct is deemed dangerous, as it stems from human touch. However, the ability to advertise has never been easier. Upon creating this piece, I wanted to embrace instinctive tendencies in my practice. The final result is a net which hangs above my bed. Many aspects of this piece were instinctual, I trust this piece has no goal other than to exist. For others, not the same is true. The thin wires which hang this large mass of boxes reflects the temporality of instinct. One who views this piece from below may be worried that this wall will fall, causing my own breath and touch to infect them, mirroring the worry that there is ulterior motive in the media. When I lie underneath the net, I know my own motive well enough to trust it.It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
As I work to understand the space the body occupies, the tendency to exhaust certain motifs and positions in space is common in my practice, as I seek to bring these concepts to form. Static, abstraction, and absurdity are foundational elements which allow me to negotiate my position in consumption and intention. I represent this negotiation through pattern and form, exploring the intersection of abstraction and observation of the figure.