I LOOK AT SPACE AND IMAGINE SOMETHING IN IT
MY JOB IS TO FREE THE FORM WITHIN THE FORM
WORKS
B.A.S.K.E.T.S. : BRAVE AND SPECIAL KINDS (of) EXCELLENT TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS -
2022 - PRESENT
In defiance against an age of tech dystopia, and in keeping with the historical craft research and theory present at the heart of the artist’s practice, the oft-overlooked site of the basket is elevated to a living, utilitarian and beautiful document of some of humanity’s most advanced knowledge and skill. The making of baskets is ancient, but futuristic too; the knowledge of materials, resourcefulness, and ability to alchemize useful objects that also inject beauty into our daily lives -in a sustainable way- is surely a vital tool for future living.
The artist often integrates reused matertials diverted from the waste stream - i.e. old power cords, single use plastic bags, and/or sustainably and responsibly harvested natural materials - i.e. the bark of an invasive plant growing outside his home, dead grass harvested from a city beach in winter.
MULTISPOUT VESSELS -
2024-2025
Cobbled-together multi-spout “teapots”— where multiple spouts share one main vessel— question the “intended use” of anything. The artist asks, “Is my body’s intended use to suffer in an underpaid job which makes me flare up? What is the teapot’s intended use?”
Within one shared vessel, it is possible for one spout to flow while another remains dry. He says, “I think about the resources my body shares amongst itself, the energy there never seems to be enough of and the blood that pools in my legs; I think of the resources society shares, or fails to share, like shelter, food, and healthcare. In both cases, there are enough resources for all parties, but the process of sharing in a capitalist context facilitates whether or not these resources are equitably distributed.”
THE SACRED AND MUNDANE RITUAL OF BECOMING YOURSELF - 2022
Clay body made from scratch, glaze and surface treatments made from scratch, wood, string. The Sacred and Mundane Ritual of Becoming Yourself documents the often invisible-or sometimes uncomfortably hypervisible-and intricate craft and performance of identity. Appropriating the description of a self-emancipated enslaved man as being able to “turn his hand to anything,” the 25 individually sculpted hands in this piece connect the artist’s own role as a craftsman and artist to a legacy of Black craftspeople- reclaiming the hand as a tool in service of the self rather than in service of forced and exploitative labor. The hands engage with the net, making the unseen internal workings of a person’s soul apparent.
COUNTRY SONG/ WIND SONG - 2022
Country Song/Wind Song is an experimental film shot on an unbranded camcorder from the early 2000s, collaged with recordings of the artist’s voice over time as it was altered by testosterone hormone replacement therapy, weaving wound and time together.
BEGIN BY DESTROYING: NEEDLECRAFTS - 2022
Begin by Destroying: Needlecrafts (Digital photographs formatted for a photobook) is a collection of experimental photography documenting the first year of gender transition against a backdrop of conservative institution of higher education, surrounded by attitudes ranging from openly hateful, to fetishistic, of the trans body. It positions gender transition and the construction of personal identity as a craft akin to weaving or sewing. These acts of creation are grouped together by the artist and defined as “needlecrafts.”
BEGIN BY DESTROYING: THE MEANS - 2022
Begin by Destroying: The Means is the poetry and prose companion to “Needlecrafts,” and examines the [divine] act of making from a historical, Black, and trans perspective. It intermingles historical research, speculation, autobiography, and poetry to illustrate these ideas. It situates the construction, performance, and curation of the artist’s Black, trans identity alongside the study of traditional craft forms.
God fills the mind with the living form, and in working to recreate his vision in clay, the artist becomes a conduit for universal power. The clay in his hands contains the feed of all of creation, the presence of god that springs to life. (Henry Glassie, A Potter’s Art)
