IN PROGRESS
IN PROGRESS
-
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you This piece considers the present-day ecological conditions and challenges that our global climate faces and how art can play a role in the response. Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas causes a large portion of global emissions. Most electricity is still produced from fossil fuels; only about a quarter comes from wind, solar, and other renewable sources. SunPunks are objects that provides an alternative heat source as a way to address climate change.
SunPunks are an interactive sculpture that utilizes recycled materials to generate and emulate heat. A Black monochrome “figure” stands life-size, supported by ten 3-foot long, thin, metal legs wrapped tightly in yarn. Alternating fraying knots climb up the bottom half of the sculpture activating the legs and creating a decorative silhouette. The feet are made from thick wood cut into rectangular blocks that protrude out in a contrapposto stance displaying confidence and a sense of purpose in the piece The sculpture's body position communicates to the viewer that it knows its own necessity and its attitude is with the powers that be that have failed us.
The top half of the body is a square wooden box, like a screen or a face, allowing the viewer to see into the heating mechanism of the piece. Alternating rows of black cylindrical forms and copper pipes serve as the internal organs that sit muted in the black frame. Fixed above that a copper plate with a small fan in the center adds to the contrasting materials. Bordering the screen there is a frame with a constellation of small Black rocks scattered on the surface. On the backside of the sculpture a small tube, which delivers the warm air, emerges out of the center upper half of the box. The sculpture produces heat through the sun's activation. The plexiglass side of the figure must be oriented towards the sun, which heats the metal soda cans and copper pipe. The imperfect shapes of the cans and reused copper align with the idea that the artists used what they could find from trash and throughout the streets of their city. One can see inside its body as if viewing its internal organs. The trapped air escapes through a black yarn spirals out like a mandala from around the tube, creating a bull's eye directing the viewer to the heat source. It’s asking the participants to come close and position themselves close to its mouth to feel the warmth.
You can imagine the character of its maker. They live in a bunker apartment surrounded by survivalist tools and pamphlets. They are constantly trying to get community members to see the importance of their gadgets and warn of our impending infrastructure collapse. They’ve become obsessed with protection and survival. The world in which the object exists is akin to a futuristic new genre of fantasy that plays on steampunk aesthetics but instead is referred to as Sunpunk, inspired by a sci-fi landscape that incorporates retro futuristic technology powered by the sun.
-
Untitled is an interactive installation that critiques the sport of basketball, while simultaneously functioning as a space for play. When speaking of sports culture the majority of people would not include homoeroticism and interpersonal queer dynamics. This exhibition is demanding participants to own up to the homoeroticism and homophobia within male sports culture and declare what their place is in the dialogue.
LGBTQ players often feel unsafe and targeted while straight men feel comfortable making homophobic gestures because they are protected by this arena of hypermasculinity.
A large part of my practice is curating discomfort and working to shift the levels from one group of people to another. Untitled is working to make space for queerness to be centered in the sport by curating a truth that already exists. The video component of the installation highlights this reality by collecting footage and audio that are original and not altered. The space holds five pairs of basketball shorts that represent two opposing teams. They are placed in close proximity to each other, which demonstrates the closeness of the players with to another. Playing sports is often the only source of affection and touch men express to one another. There’s an intimacy in basketball through sweating on one another and touch is not only acceptable, but an essential element of how you play the game.
contains floor text of installation
-
Let’s Call It What It Is is an immersive installation that puts forth questions and interventions to help us understand how we continue to perpetuate ideologies of white supremacy/delusion through our everyday discussion making. Utilizing a “choose your own adventure” format the participant is asked to follow a path based on their answers to a series of multiple choice questions, which at the end offer an assessment of the person. The prompts center around the concept of allyship, with the final result being a reality check of how ones actions match with what a supportive ally actually looks like. It focuses on interpersonal and intercultural dynamics on race, class, transphobia, homophobia and ableism. Often white, economically advantaged, cis heterosexual and/or able bodied people do not recognize their own neutrality and complicity in perpetuating the ideologies of previous centuries. This project sparks potentially uncomfortable internal dialogues for participants because it unearths our truths versus the delusions we want to believe about ourselves. Sitting in discomfort is necessary for genuine change. Addressing our history is not only about debating what is right but taking actionable steps to shift resources and access.
-
Let Us Keep You Warm #2 is an interactive sculpture that utilizes sustainable building practices and recycled materials to generate and emit heat. The concept and the design originally stem from my experience with NYC winters huddling with friends as a way to survive waiting for the bus. Since its inception the focus has expanded to consider the lack of warmth in outdoor public spaces at large. This project both provides a solution to deal with waste materials and a source of heat that reduces our carbon footprint. While this piece can be enjoyed by all, its existence is specifically directed toward supporting people who need outdoor warmth the most: those without homes and those who are more vulnerable to the elements, such as people with underlying health conditions and children. Let Us Keep You Warm #2 is a public art piece rooted in the principles of social practice and specifically addresses a need: free heat. It is not coincidental that most cities and towns do not provide heating stations at bus stops, parks, among other public locations. City government and public officials do not want people without homes to congregate in these areas. Most localities want to deny people without homes this resource and as a result all citizens suffer. A few cities have decided to provide this resource, such as Toronto and St. Paul. This sculpture provides an example of how to do it sustainably and economically. Let Us Keep You Warm #2 is in opposition to the hostile architecture that is implemented throughout the cites to deter loitering. In response I’ve coined the term conducive architecture to describe designs that address a need that aids people rather than designs that purposely restrict the behavior of the poor, people without homes and youth. As a teenager I utilized drop in centers in NYC, such as Hedrick Martin and The Door, where I saw first hand the disproportionate rate in which LGBTQ adolescents were affected by homelessness. The purpose of this public piece falls in line with the core of my practice; to produce life-size structures and sculptures that serve as sanctuaries, protectors, and symbols of empowerment for BIPOC LGBTQ folks.
Huddling is a simple act, but it’s a powerful social thermoregulatory behavior commonly used by mammals to reduce heat loss and energy expenditure in the cold. The images above are moquette versions of the proposed project. The figures in the sculpture mimic this in abstract form representing two people cuddling in a lying position. I’m open to changing the forms and dimensions to fit the location. The materials that will be used for this project are concrete, radiant floor tubing, recycled soda cans, solar fans, and plexiglass. The last image shows the back of the piece, which are cans that will be stacked within the frames and then backed with plexiglass to create an environment that will capture the heat generated inside of them. The temperature of the air can reach up to 150 degrees. Solar fans will be used to blow the heat into the tubes, which will warm the concrete. This sculpture will present the impact of combining close physical proximity and thermal energy.