breathe

As an adornment artist, I am interested in the relationship between object and wearer. I explore the creation of self-awareness and the transformation of intimate physical understandings of the body. Is it possible to evoke the act of breathing in a static object with material choices? This body of work explores questions about the body and the intimate personal interaction between the wearer and the object.

In 2011, I began exploring the breath and the possibility of evoking the act of breathing in a static object through form and material choices. At the time, this work was directly influenced by the experience of witnessing my father dying in a hospital bed – watching a ventilator breath for him while trying to ground myself through my own breath. This work tries to capture the power of our breath, the necessity of breathing, and the ability of wearable objects to tune the wearer into this power.

With fear ever present in our “Age of Terror,” grounding ourselves in the present, focusing on our breath, is essential to move past the fear and work towards hope. My early works in this series used repurposed single-use plastic bags and repurposed thrift store clothing. These materials were used to emphasize the connection between our ability to breathe and our environment, and the necessity to act as good stewards to our environment. I have begun to incorporate using found wood with this work to further push the connection between our ability to breath and the trees that provide us the oxygen we need. Climate change and the increasing, constant, devastating wildfires around the globe, add to the fear, making the need to focus on our breath even more pressing. Breathe in – 2 – 3 – 4 – Hold – 2 – 3 - 4 - Breathe Out – 2 – 3 – 4…