Sculpture
Kiki & Bouba was my first real dive into the interactive art world. I had learned of a psychology experiment involving words called “Kiki” and “Bouba”. People were presented with two shapes one spiky and one rounded and they were given two names:” Kiki” and “Bouba”. Around 95% of the studied people chose “Kiki” for the sharp shape and “Bouba” for the round one. I wanted to extend this experiment into the 3D world and gave them form. My main idea was to observe how people interacted with them. Were they more likely to touch Bouba because she’s friendly? Or were they more intrigued by the pointiness of Kiki? I added thermal colour changing paint to their ends to be a little reward or encouragement for the interactions.
Kiki & Bouba
Year
2023
Material
Polyurethane plastic, plaster bandage,
thermal paint
Touch-Me-Not
Touch-Me-Not is a piece made to comment on the objectification of women in art. When it came to making her, I was thinking about the material, bronze. Bronze statues become polished when touched over and over by people because of our natural oils and when the statue is of a woman her breasts or butt are often what’s been touched. I wanted to amplify this feeling of grossness and defencelessness by taking away her limbs and head, giving her no identity and no autonomy. I was also looking at the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory statues as reference for this piece.
Year
2023
Material
Bronze
Janus
Janus is a piece made to reflect transition. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions and more and is often depicted with having two faces, one faces the past, and the other, the future. I made this piece when I felt I was in a transitional period for my art. I hadn’t been fully connected to what I wanted yet, and maybe I’m still not but I need to stay present during this time. Janus has thermal colour changing paint on her so that as you transition you can see yourself reflected on her. I would like to turn this idea into a gate one day so that you can physically walk through the piece.
Year
2023
Material
Polyurethane foam, resin, thermal paint
Memories & Anticipation
Memories & Anticipation is about appreciation. It is a part of a series called “Glenarma” which is a series of works dedicated to my home and the land I grew up on. This piece in particular is a site-specific work for the farm field in my backyard and is meant as way for people to sit down and appreciate the beauty of the land for a while. The shape and colour of the bench reflects the field during a very specific time in the summer, my favourite time of year. The bench isn’t just to appreciate the now but to excite you for the future when the leaves are green and the canola has bloomed. For this piece I was looking at artists, Kinji Akagawa and Anne Truitt for inspiration.
Year
2023
Material
Pink foam, plaster, fibreglass, resin
Sunday
Sunday is part of the “Glenarma” series and is a representation of my Oma’s kitchen. When my family immigrated from Germany to Canada, they made sure to bring a recipe called Gipfel with them. It’s eaten every Sunday for breakfast with cream cheese or jelly or really anything you want. These gipfel are not shaped traditionally however, they have been made to look like the individual vertebrae that make up your spine. This is because in my eyes the act of sharing food is like giving away pieces of yourself. When you share food you share experiences, stories, opinions, love, history, kindness and vunrability. These were all things I thought about while making the gipfel.
Year
2023
Material
Basket, gipfel, silverware
Compost
Compost is part of the “Glenarma” series and is also a representation of my Oma’s kitchen, this time though, the compost. When it came to making this piece I was thinking heavily about the history of Glenarma, the farm that my family has owned for over 100 years. My great grandparents uprooted their whole lives to move to Canada and they did it so that their future generations could have better opportunities, better lives. Just as the compost allows the next generation of plants to sprout so did the actions of those who came before me allow me to grow into the person I am. Even though we never met, their impact has been felt generations later, and I hope to one day add to the compost that will raise stronger and better plants.
Year
2023
Material
Bucket, veggies, photographs
Sounds of Glenarma
Sounds of Glenarma was the final installation of the “Glenarma” series. I decided to make it seem like these sounds were emanating from the earth itself so that it feels like it’s come alive. There are 6 strawberries sitting in the dirt to represent the 6 people in my immediate family as many of the sounds originate from them. The reason they are strawberries is because my fondest memories of Glenarma are from when I was a child, and the fields were used to grow rows and rows of strawberries and we could pick as many as we wanted and eat them straight off the plant. This piece is supposed to replicate the memories that have been buried here that still live on with us.
Year
2023
Material
Soil, wood
