About the Collections
The Brick Collection: is an accumulation of materials I come into contact with during my existence. It is an ongoing project of collecting, cataloging, and compressing different packaging, single use items, production waste, and other miscellaneous materials. These items are donated, sought out, and gathered from daily living. Compressed into the shape of generic bricks, these materials are the building blocks of a consumer driven society. They become a textural library beckoning to be contemplated and explored.
There are more materials than can be collected in one lifespan. I know it will be impossible to collect every type of packaging, let alone other materials during my lifetime, but I consider this my living legacy and enjoy the pursuit. A Material Museum is my ultimate goal. A record of existence, not only from my own life but the material world surrounding me and the implications the materials impact on different societies. Everyone has a different reaction to materials based on past experiences interactions with the materials. I find this a fascinating phenomenon.
The Brick Collection is ever changing and can be displayed in several ways. Condensed on a bookshelf, or mounted on the wall, like an antique plate collection. I am interested in the psychology behind what humans choose to collect, while also struggling with my own material guilt due to my existence. The expanding archive gives insight into different relationships between consumer and material depending on the order in which the bricks are presented. Some categories include: regional brand purchasing, the speed of accumulation, and tangible similarities. It is a way to study regional and societal manufacturing and consumer living patterns with the main interest being the driving psychology behind it.
Through my work I am acknowledging and giving respect to the myriads of materials, and showcasing their versatile capacities and lifespans. It is my solution for what I do with the trash I pick up, things I can’t seem to let go of, and a way for me to organize the chaos of existence. Much like finding a stray puppy and giving it a home, I take in these discarded materials and give them a proper place in the world that keeps them out of the environment where they would cause harm. With the right perspective the same reverence can be given to an old chip bag as it can be bestowed on a diamond. Marketing and manufacturing cultivates the societal consumer perspective of value.
Intimate Connections: is the intertwining of components from the life habits that are intertwined with handmade silver rings. It is a window into my process, thoughts, and outlook. Intimate special moments when I recognize the beauty in something so small that reminds me that life can be beautiful no matter the hardships based on focus. This reminder is battle armor in the darkest days.
There is a history to each of these tiny fragments. By wrapping, encircling, and merging the micro-scraps with the precious metal, their resting place is elevated from trashcan to treasure to resting reliquary as a reminder to appreciate and reconnect with every material I come into contact with, no matter its size. The ring symbolizes the life cycle of each material. The purpose they served, and the destiny they have depending on their properties and human interactions and perceived value.
Intimate Connections reflects only an infinitesimal fragment of potential waste in comparison to manufactures scraps. The silver ring is a hopeful suggestion to move away from a linear manufacturing system and towards a closed loop system. The small scale works make the approach to the reality of material presence less daunting and cultivates a positive perspective of appreciation at the same time. By adorning scraps with handmade jewelry connects the two; object and human. Many large corporations treat the human work force as expendable, just like the materials they produce. Intimate Connections urges the perspective of value and respect to all things living and inanimate.
I wear an identical silver band to stay linked to this artwork as a connection to my personal impact while on earth. It is a reminder to appreciate the little things and that there is beauty in simple existence. It furthers drives me to be consciously active in my approach to materials when creating and consuming. This ring keeps me grounded. It can be easy to feel dismissed or unimportant in such a vast fast paced world. It reminds me to be an open soul and cherish my connection with others. Every big idea starts small. Wearing the ring helps keep me motivated in an uphill battle of nihilistic optimism while traversing the overwhelming reality of existence.
Keeping Tabs: documents single use plastic tabs in handcrafted silver as a labor of love and analysis of design. Focusing on small disposable pieces, Keeping Tabs addresses a macro issue at a micro scale. The plastic tabs I am mimicking are designed specifically to be thrown away directly after purchasing. These tabs sole roll in the consumer process is to make it easier manufacture, purchase, and consume.
Designers spend an extraneous amount of time and money perfecting convenient disposal design. By replicating them in silver, these works showcase the ingenious designs while reiterating their single use function.
Keeping Tabs revisits the purpose of design and the importance of material choices. These discrete easy to open tabs are designed to be thrown away and forgotten. They are produced at a rate that is nearly inconceivable and yet designed to go unnoticed, to blend into the packaging, to serve a purpose and then to be discarded. Without the responsibility of material packaging by manufactures to act on their destructive design for the sake of profit and convenience, no matter the efforts of the conscious consumer the epidemic of micro plastic will never be remedied.
Many of the silver pieces are displayed with their original plastic inspiration, collected from daily life. Every time I see a new tab I hold onto it and store it until for later when I have time to replicate it in silver. The mindset when focusing on Keeping Tabs is another reiteration of the other collections. These all work hand in hand.
Other Works - These works are independent material studies and conceptual works that orbit around my collections process and ideals.