Artist Statement
Ode to Death
In Ode to Death I dismantle my childhood piano, and make an urn, necklace, and brooch out of it, displaying these pieces on the remainder of the piano. Through this body of work, I intend to celebrate the life of the piano as if it were a human. Life the largest object in the installation, the remainder of the piano that becomes the display for all the new pieces, similar to how various objects were displayed on the top of it when I played it in my childhood room. The front two panels are removed, allowing the inner workings of the piano to be seen. Death is an urn made out of piano keys, with a brass container set in the top. The four walls of the container are created with only the white keys, layered in ways that leaves gaps. The slots reveal the underside of the white keys and the various felt lined holes that are normally hidden. The corners of the box are articulated with the black keys. Removing the lid of the urn reveals a wood carved stamp that sits in the piano ashes. The stamp is carved with the musical rest symbol, pointing to the functionality of an urn. Memory is a sterling silver brooch inspired by traditional mourning jewelry, created with the donated precious materials by Kessler’s Diamonds and piano wire. It has hammered texture in reference to the piano hammers that hit the keys as it is played. Inside the recess of the silver surface, a centerpiece is prong set with a faux weave of piano string, which imitates the weaving of a loved one’s hair in mourning jewelry. The steel wire that holds the brooch on is also made from one of the higher toned piano wires. Reincarnation reiterates the idea of tearing apart the piano and creating jewelry from its various parts. It is a sterling silver necklace with a handmade box clasp connected to a chain made of cages. These cages hold green felt washers that originally prevented the piano keys from getting damaged while pressed, now themselves being protected by the wire structures. This body of work explores mortality through the lens of an heirloom object. I reference life through the actual working piano, now serving as display for the death objects: a decorated urn as the symbolic final resting place of the piano, mourning jewelry as an act or remembrance, and finally, the necklace envisioning new life for the old components of the piano.
