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What I do: I fabricate objects with meticulous handmade details that are counterpoints to the banality of their materials. Repurposing marketing tools from consumer culture, I shred and create with solicitations, safety envelopes and catalogs that are difficult to recycle because their inks have high concentrations of heavy metals. Deconstructing these materials reshapes their formulaic messages into narratives of personal interest. As interpretations of natural structures and architectural elements, my forms are indelible impressions from recollections and observations. Rolling, folding, sewing and fabricating the shreds into intimate sculptural reliefs produces works that explore surface and texture, becoming meditations on consumerism and waste.
Why I do it: nothing seemed to make it into the trash in the apartment of my Eastern European grandparents. Discarded clothing became crocheted rugs. Old curtains became aprons. Leftovers became the ingredients for new meals. Nothing was wasted, everything possible was reused. Castoff items became novel and compelling in their metamorphosis. Combining this sensibility with the shredding of junk mail illuminates the physical acts of deconstructing and repurposing. The power of transformation, frugality, ingenuity and handmade quality drive my practice.