select works

Equal and Opposite Forces

silhouette study | mixed media installation | performace

This multimedia installation started first with the architecture of this particular building. Upon studying the space I discovered two fogged glass panels that divided a hallway and an interior room - the concept and composition of the piece evolved from there.

There is an undeniable tension in the conscious indulgence of those things that distract us and hide in our shadow. “Equal and Opposite Forces” spoke to all things that distract us as humans and create a self imposed barrier between our selves and the goals of our true selves. In this piece I aimed to explore the dimensions of our physical, mental and emotional bodies and the pile of trash that inevitably challenges all three. Using common symbols of indulgent waste constructed to mirror the silhouette of my live model, I was able to blurr the line between installation and performance as well as experiment with the viewers perception of the piece as they moved through the space.

Space becomes Place

photographic installation & apartment art

“Space becomes Place” was an exhibition that took place in my apartment/studio. In this show every part of the space was intentionally curated to be apart of one large work with many separate components. I pinned hundreds of buttons to the wall spouting out of a large silhouette installation made up of many photographic and nostalgic treasures. I projected a video art piece onto the shower curtain in my bathroom. I highlighted a polaroid collage piece that was a part of an ongoing photo study of “messy rooms” and used my messy room to frame it laid out on my bed. I even left full rooms vacant to create void spaces and let the architecture become the focal point. In this exhibition I wanted to challenge the way that people viewed, interacted with, and thought about art by immersing them in an experiential installation and curating my collections in an unexpected way.

My Vision & My Values

mixed media installation | cassette tape & stamps

This piece was made during my residency at Rongo in Karamea New Zealand. Rongo is a multifaceted arts venture that is made up of a living gallery, hostel, a permaculture farm and a radio station so I wanted to create an installation using materials that spoke to its spirit of travel, color and music. I collected four pounds of postage stamps, sorted them by color and pinned them to the wall and ceiling in a colorful gradient. The ropes of flexed stamps are connected to the mouth of a silhouette made out of stretched and pinned cassette tape. While traveling to this residency I would visit thrift shops to scout out different materials. I knew I wanted to experiment with stretching cassette tapes so picked a few up and would listen to them as I worked in my artists cabin. One of the cassettes that I picked up and used for this piece is titled “My Vision and My Values.” I loved the title and thought it was an incredible coincidence that the tape was made in Niles Illinois - just 15 minutes from my hometown - but I found it a half a world away and a thrift store in Westport New Zealand. It is the special chance stories like this that make me believe in the unique energy that objects and artifacts carry with them.

Find a Button|Leave a Button

interactive collection | mixed media installation

In addition to doing a static piece at Rongo I knew I wanted to make a collaborative project that the diverse array of international travelers coming through could be a part of. In “Find a Button Leave a Button”

I had everyone that came through Rongo's hostel find a button on something they were traveling with. Each button is unique. Each button has a story.Each button has traveled to that place at that time. They removed this button, gave it to me and made label with their name and which country they were from. They then chose a button from my collection. I sewed this new button on to replace their old one and then took a photograph with a disposable camera of them with their new button for a subsequent photo essay. In this way their button becomes a part of my art and serves as a symbol, representing them and our time spent together and adding to my collection in a new way. In return my button travels on with them as a quiet reminder of my gesture, intention and a story of my art. In my time there I collected over 130 buttons from people from 23 countries. The beauty of this piece is that my collection of people, buttons, stories and photographs can keep growing and growing as time goes on. I have continued this project back in the states at Burning Man and in other cities around the country as I travel.

Message in a Bottle...Wall

interactive sculpture | time capsule

Another interactive piece that I created in New Zealand was the "Message in a Bottle...Wall" The concept for this piece was to have everyone who came through the hostel write a "message in a bottle"- whatever they wanted to send out into the world for a stranger to find- I would then bring these messages (collected over 60) back to the states where i would put them in bottles and release them in public spaces (a park, a side street) for a stranger to come across and pick up. The rest is left to the unknown and the art connects people through chance and stories. However, the concrete and bottle sculpture remains on the grounds of Rongo. People continue to write their messages and deposit treasures into the sealed and weather proofed bottles. In this way the sculpture serves as a time capsule ...keeping alive the intention of the people who have traveled through and placed their messages there. To make this wall I collected wine and beer bottles from the local pub. I de-labeled and cleaned them and layered them to make the symbolic shapes of a green bottle and light bulb using a cement mixture I made with sand from a local estuary.