Ava Hager and Candice Booker, “Bottle Tree”
Mentor: Glenn Williams, Art & Design
This project is a re-examination of the bottle tree as a reference to African American cultural identity stemming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola traditions. This sculptural tree is a physical manifestation of the collective stories and parallel histories that were carried forth by Africans of the transatlantic slave trade. This work examines the power of tradition as a psychological mechanism to sustain one’s cultural distinctiveness. Throughout the fabrication process we utilized Mig and Tig welding to construct the steel and aluminum tree structure as well as the hanging bottles, pots, and pans.
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Ava & Candice: Great work with this presentation. I’ve seen bottle trees before but didn’t realize there was so much meaning, history, and tradition there—wonderful for me to have this chance to expand my perspective and understanding. The scale of your piece is amazing as well. Thanks for sharing your learning in this format!
Beautiful and moving work, Ava & Candice. I’d love to hear more about the mask and “performance project” mentioned on the poster. Was that part of the same work?