large-scale fiber work & marine debris is the intersection between whimsy and sustainability
Jarana - october 2023
A quipu usually consisted of cotton or camelid fiber strings and contained categorized information based on three variables: colour, order and number.
The design for this large install was based upon the Peruvian quipu, used for collecting data and keeping records. Using thick 20 mm hemp rope and custom fastenings, the piece spans across a large three-tiered booth seating as well as a statement divider in the large restaurant Jarana located in the Mall of America in New Jersey, NY.
altered - june 2024
"In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." - Baba Dioum
This artwork confronts the impact of microplastics on marine DNA, revealing the consequences of unsustainable practices in fishing and agriculture. By incorporating marine debris, it highlights how our throwaway culture is reshaping ocean life. The DNA strands symbolize genetic disruptions caused by microplastic ingestion, prompting reflection on the pressing need for environmental stewardship. ALTERED urges collective action to address the plastic crisis endangering marine ecosystems, emphasizing our duty to protect Earth's interconnected web of life. Find this piece outside of the Ucluelet Aquarium and learn more about the Salvaged Art Project.
Rolling out to sea - March 2022
“objects that find their way to a junk pile do not make them worthless. it just takes a creative mind to envision a new life for them.”
All of the floats, buoys, bobbers, and rope were at one time lost at sea, washed up on the shores of Vancouver Island, picked from the beach, and discarded to the landfill. Similarly, all these rolling pins we once donated to secondhand shops found their way to the collection of Ouest Patisserie’s Jessica and happily used to bring together a baker’s charm with the West Coast town aesthetic. Now a permanent fixture at the artesian patisserie, you can go see the many knots and interesting finds including wooden buoys, which they used before the use of styrofoam, before munching on a delicious macaron in downtown Tofino, BC.
Flotsam & Jetsam - March 2022
“Our oceans are fastly becoming filled with plastic, from the fish we eat to the water we drink and play in, it is inescapable .”
This floor-to-ceiling marine debris art installation was inspired by the ‘useless’ or discarded objects found in the Tofino landfill, previously used in the fishing agricultural industry. The nets are draped, stapled, and wired into place creating swirling waves and highly textured shapes. It is featured on the outside wall of the ‘Breezeway’ at Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino, BC, and was a commissioned piece for Whale Fest 2022.
Out of sight // out of mind- March 2022
“We rarely think about the creatures that are seriously affected by over pollution of plastics in our oceans.”
Created with washed up floats, ghost nets, plastic cap brims, the trimmings of flip flops, and plastic caps of all kinds - “Out of Sight / Out of Mind” tells the story of what happens to all the trash that is left to float in large “garbage patches” throughout the worlds largest waters. Fish and other ocean dwellers consume microplastics, and create new habitats out of the great floating landfills, causing serious harm to the health of the creatures that call the ocean home. Created for Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet, BC, and was a commissioned piece for Whale Fest 2022.