Artist Statement
In my current body of work, I explore my body’s response to emotional, mental, and physical stressors and the importance of mindfulness in relationship to our wellbeing. This immersive hanging sculpture was created with an assortment of used tea bags varying in color, shape, size, and material each carrying their own moment retrospectively. These bags were collected from my daily tea drinking in an effort not only to hydrate, but to better my mental health by giving me a moment to pause and breathe. I also gathered bags from friends and community members, creating a collective archive of a practice shared among many. These bags are sandwiched between a transparent layer of tulle allowing them to appear floating as they create a wall between the form’s interior and exterior. They piece together in a puzzled mosaic creating a fragrant quilt that is stretched taut around the rigid body. The wooden skeleton beneath is made of pine, thin and brittle but strengthened through their overlapping junctures. This work epitomizes process, paying thanks to traditional time intensive techniques within sewing, and woodworking. These processes are entrancing creating beauty in repetition and spontaneous patterning. I look for meditative acts within my work, and actions that no matter how simple or complex are relaxing through their ability to allow the mind to disconnect. These acts are therapeutic in nature and inspire my exploration of the mental state’s effect on the body.
