Garden
The immersive, plant-like environment of Garden references stories and memories of my home and family. I am embracing ambiguity, while recognizing various possibilities of interpretation. In this space, seaweed could be cornstalks, or tear drops can be falling seeds. All of it can be an overgrown, overhanging, garden of lilies of the valley.
Garden’s primary material is rice-based and very fragile. Over time this material becomes progressively brittle, often breaking when handled. Piles of shards grow larger while the hanging leaves become more sparse. Despite the inevitable difficulties of working with this material, rice is an important reference to my mother. Having passed away many years ago, my mother’s life and death continue to significantly impact my values and choices.
These impermanent rice-based objects present a curiously pleasing translucent quality. The interaction with natural light highlights the textures of the material, illuminating the forms and reflecting subtle hues. This aspect of translucency, connected to the tragedy of impermanence, relates to the quandary of defining the value of life. With an air of nostalgia, Garden communicates our effect on our surroundings and vice versa, while also representing a short-lived moment of aesthetic experience.
