Installation
Our Bodies, Ourselves, 2025
115 × 110 × 30 inches
paper, natural dye from hibiscus and pea flower, wax, yarn,
"Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century" (1998), the definitive text on women's health and sexuality by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, is the source material and inspiration for this installation. I chose the motif of the beehive and honeycomb to symbolize women and the strength of our community, while flowers represent the beauty and vitality women contribute.
The piece is designed to engage the viewer with the architecture of the space. Utilizing the alcove and corners, the honeycomb organically climbs the wall and wraps around the corner, inviting the viewer to fully explore the installation. Similarly, wisteria-like vines are crafted from brown craft paper and yarn, climbing from the alcove corner up the wall and across the ceiling. The flowers suspended from the vines move gently with the air, adding subtle dynamism to the composition.
I created the forms by intentionally selecting and folding pages from the book to best display its subject matter. The hexagons, dipped in wax, and the hand-dyed flowers (using butterfly pea flower powder), form the honeycomb and wisteria. The honeycomb is attached to the wall with t-pins in an organic arrangement, with book-page-covered, 3D-printed bees attached on top.
I hope the viewer is initially drawn in by the subtle colors and organic beauty of the forms. Upon closer inspection, the eye will catch the images and text embedded in the paper, a combination of graphic and informational content, prompting a moment of deeper reflection on the piece's overarching theme of women, their bodies, and their lives.
Environmental Response, 2025
110 × 215 × 190 inches
founds objects including: parking post, branches, broken ceramic tile (masonry grout), aluminum cans, mulch, dirt, dead birds
This project presents an interventionist site-specific installation whose origin lies directly within its chosen location, a space defined by the tragic mortality of the birds that fatally struck the building's reflective windows. My approach emphasizes contextual authenticity and visual cohesion, transforming the work into an intrinsic part of its surroundings to provoke a critical contemplation of the human-environmental impact.
The compositional strategy hinges on the deliberate use of found materials to establish rhythm and balance throughout the space. The installation's poignant core consists of the actual gravesites, positioned below the lethal windows. Adjacent stands the constructed ‘Deterrent Tree,’ an armature built from a salvaged sign pole and wired branches. This structure introduces texture and form by fusing industrial and organic elements, serving not only to host the kinetic deterrents but also offering a safe, approachable perch where birds can land and feel at ease, thereby re-establishing a natural presence in the immediate vicinity.
To achieve unity and spatial flow, fragments of broken ceramic tile, found onsite, are grouted around the tree's base, integrating the building’s architectural detritus with the ground plane. This use of line guides the viewer's eye. Suspended from a branch extending across the window are kinetic aluminum 'deterrents,' fashioned from discarded beverage cans. These elements introduce movement and light while serving a dual purpose: they represent the fleeting mass of avian life and act as a practical measure to mitigate future bird strikes by disrupting the window's reflective space.
By carefully curating and placing these localized, repurposed elements, the installation achieves a powerful visual resonance. Ultimately, Reflections of Impact seeks to move the viewer toward a critical reflection on our environmental footprint and inspire tangible, lasting change.
Synaesthetic: Do You Feel What I Feel, 2025
72 × 108 × 12 inches
fabric, poly fill, dye, ceramic, slip, underglaze, yarn
Pain is a universal experience, yet its understanding remains completely relative. I believe no one person's pain is inherently greater or less than another's; rather, it should be regarded with equity and empathy. This project seeks to foster deeper consideration for the disparate nature of suffering. I created a tactile, abstract representation of my pain, which serves as an instrument to communicate a feeling often confined to isolation, thus inviting viewers into a shared, empathetic understanding of this ubiquitous human experience.
