ARTIST STATEMENT
My work applies fibers, drawing and sculpture processes to both new and repurposed materials to explore how material waste can be a metaphor for social hierarchies of function, especially as it relates to the labor that produced them. This results in work that visually varies greatly, from image based tufted rugs to giant toilet paper rolls made out of two hundred-twenty old towels, to mylar sleeping bags or carved bathtubs. To work with these different materials I practice an array of processes–sewing, crocheting, tufting, paper casting, welding, metal working, woodworking, etc. I source many of my materials from the streets and thrift stores of Philadelphia, an intervention that allows me to participate more complexly in our communal waste stream. Throughout my work I employ a material study perspective, meaning that the concept of the work is interpreted through the research lens of material and process, including historical material value, production methods or cultural significance. Across these physical variations I am continuously interested in the generating purpose beyond extractable labor.