Sculptures
Four mediums, four prompts: Cardboard, Wood, Plaster, and Metal.
Prompt 1: Insect Altruism
Title: Beauty and the Beast
Made a giant insect out of cardboard, hot glue, and screws. Collaborating with another artist, I made a 6 ft by 7ft orchid mantis & yellow jacket hybrid creature.
Prompt 2: Deconstruct and poetically reconstruct found wood objects
Title: Contained Infinity
This piece is an ode to time and its irony as it exists in an anthropomorphic “space.” It calls attention to the nuances of time, how we try to contain and control it, but it ultimately cannot be driven by anything but itself — operating outside the grasp of our human hands. Even though it bows to no one master, time is a concept created by humans, tracked by humans, and controlled through human measurements and metrics. The sculpture represents this continuous battle between a species and our clocks — or rather — the timelessness of our existence.
Prompt 3: Composition of tools for civil unrest
This prompt made me think about how women’s bodies can be used as a protest tool. Both iterations of my plaster casts are representative of women’s rights movements such as #Me2 and “Bans Off Our Bodies.”
Title of cast 1: Reed in the Stream
Reed in the Stream means something special to me. It’s titled this because my dad told me recently, “Dani, you are a reed in the stream.” Out of context, this makes little sense. But to me, I am a reed in the stream because of all of the chaos currently surrounding us in the world. I see myself as the reed in the stream — I must sway with the ebb and flow of the river as the chaos of current pushes and pulls me violently. This sculpture aims to represent how the female figure is often used and portrayed in a sexual manner though it belongs to a unique and individual person. Each body is different, and each human being is granted a universal right to take care of their own in the way they see fit. The sculpture is connected to the “Bans Off Our Bodies” protest in this way, as each woman is capable of making decisions that affect their own lives and ultimately, their own bodies.
Title of cast 2: A Woman Scorned
A Woman Scorned is a sculpture representing the #MeToo movement. The plaster bust is fragile, beautiful and yet breakable. It aims to call attention to the damage that occurs to victims of sexual abuse and assault, while simultaneously making the viewer think about how victims often have to continue living their lives though they suffer the physical pain and emotional trauma from these instances.
Prompt 4: Freestanding metal armature supporting a hollow form with skin
Title: Reversed Intuition
(The Backwards State of the World)
Dimensions: L x W x H : 5’5” x 1’3” x 2’10”
A contemporary floor lamp that rethinks direction and expectation. This sculptural piece positions its light source on the opposite side of the lampshade, creating a subtle visual twist that transforms negative space into a design feature. It represents the current state of the world and how it makes me feel, almost as if it’s Opposite Day, yet continuing to function as it was before. Made out of rebar, scrap metal, rusted chain, lace, and thread.
