Sculpture
“Configuration”
Steel, aluminum wire,
wood, paint.
3x5ft.
My intention with “Configuration” is to combine form and medium to create a textile experience whose physical form gives it purpose, gives it a presence which is stagnant and alive.
“Configuration” is an exploration of replicating a textile experience in a medium that is hard and sharp, but has been manipulated to mimmic a semi-soft quality. The resulting visual experience, however, is not one of ease or comfort as a traditional quilt might evoke, though in my experience the delicate nature transcends medium. The form is obviously deliberate and calculated, and the piece as a whole is self-contained without being fully exposed to the viewer.
“Hardware Sweater"
Zip ties and "O" rings
2x4ft.
“Hardwear Sweater” was one of my first pieces that explored textile in a new medium. The idea of putting on this particular sweater makes the viewer cringe with the feeling of hard plastic on skin. It is both visually inviting and tactilely off-putting.
“Nagelmattan”
Steel nails, cotton embroidery thread,
aluminum screen
3x5ft
While a viewer may at first recognize this floor piece as a tactilely inviting object, they are denied the associative pleasure of standing barefoot on a fur rug as they quickly realize this particular pelt is made of sharp, steel nails. Furthermore, the nails in place of fur make one think even more about the softness of an actual rug. These contrasting sensory associations only heighten one’s awareness of our material world and invite the viewer to question their own senses, hope- fully in a way that encourages curiosity and criticality. Framed by themes of intimacy and agitation, domesticity and discomfort, and presented in a way that is visually and tactilely complicated, the ultimate aim of my work is to encourage viewers to recognize the complex and often contradictory nature of all objects.
“Stuffed”
Synthetic stuffing,
cotton embroidery thread,
various fabrics on flannel
4x5ft
“Stuffed” is a further expansion on associative textile qualities. The banner-style display confronts the viewer with a form that is obviously living but anonymous in origin. Framed with raw edges of flannel and wooden dowels on each end, there is an iconographic quality to “stuffed” in that it encapsulates a broader view of textile within fine art while also having a reverence in and of itself.