INSTALLATIONS
CONFESSIONAL WOMB | GENESIS | OVARY ROSARY | FROM THE MOTHER
Confessional Womb (2022)
Fabric, plaster, wood, and electronics 36" x 96" x 48"
Confessional Womb is an immersive mixed media confessional booth that mimics the experience of being inside the womb. The suspended curtains of velvet and satin create a sense of envelopment, while the pulsating soundscape invites the view to enter. The space provides a calming, womb-like ambiance. Nestled inside is a white wooden catholic prayer kneeler, which adds to the experience of being in a safe and sacred space. The plaster hands that reach out from the back wall offer a pink light, symbolizing the spiritual significance of the divine Mother. The work is a powerful reminder of the importance of self-care and self-reflection, and it provides a much-needed space for women to connect with their own bodies and experiences.
Genesis (2017)
Five 4' x 6' painted wood boards each containing twenty-one 7" sculptures
Resin, LED lights, and wood
Resin, LED lights, and wood
My MFA thesis piece, Genesis is a large wall installation consisting of five large white boards. The boards are shaped into organic round forms and house behind them a LED lighting system. From the front the lights stagger on and off, light amber color resin Vagina Marys. The Vagina Marys are much less pronounced in this form than in previous incarnations. The vulva is more pronounced but the religious iconography is more subtle.
I displayed five cut out, painted, plywood shapes approximately 6ft x 4ft in diameter to represent the womb. Each board had twenty-one, 7” Vagina Mary clear resin cast mounted on them in compositions meant to reference the zygote cell formation in early gestation.
The numbers are significant and reference Numbers 5:21 from the 1st Testament. This passage is referred to as the adultery test and says if a woman suffers miscarriage or reproductive ailments she must have wrong her husband and is being punished for her sins.
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
For me, Genesis is about the acceptance of loss and the ability to find peace. The title Genesis references God’s first words as the creator of the world, “Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).
I displayed five cut out, painted, plywood shapes approximately 6ft x 4ft in diameter to represent the womb. Each board had twenty-one, 7” Vagina Mary clear resin cast mounted on them in compositions meant to reference the zygote cell formation in early gestation.
The numbers are significant and reference Numbers 5:21 from the 1st Testament. This passage is referred to as the adultery test and says if a woman suffers miscarriage or reproductive ailments she must have wrong her husband and is being punished for her sins.
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
For me, Genesis is about the acceptance of loss and the ability to find peace. The title Genesis references God’s first words as the creator of the world, “Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).
The Ovary Rosary (2016)
Approximately 25' long
Stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wire, and rope.
Stoneware, porcelain, glaze, wire, and rope.
Since the vulva is one of the external parts of the reproductive system, it is fairly recognizable. Consequently, I wanted to explore other parts of the female reproductive system in my artwork. As a society we are are more familiar with the male reproductive anatomy than the female reproductive anatomy. I created the Ovary Rosary in 2016. It was a 25’ long rosary made from bright pink rope, and a series of 9” ceramic “ovary “ beads, along with brass wire, and gold leafing. Instead of a crucifix, a white sculpted ceramic vulva resembling the Madonna with gold leafing took its place. The ovary shaped beads depicted human ovaries in different stages of life and health. Some of the ovary beads were swollen, while others had visible cysts, or appeared small and frail.
The rosary felt like an appropriate embodiment for this piece because so many of the prayers of the rosary revolved around the Holy Mother. In March of 2017 , in a staged performance, I prayed on the Ovary Rosary. It was a meditative performance that put me in physical contact with the piece. After thirty minutes of praying, and hunched over on my knees, lifting and cradling each heavy ceramic ovary, I made my way slowly around the entire rosary, and in doing so my body physically ached. I wanted to include the audience in how personal the act of prayer could be. Here they were privy to my struggles as I made my way around the rosary.
The rosary felt like an appropriate embodiment for this piece because so many of the prayers of the rosary revolved around the Holy Mother. In March of 2017 , in a staged performance, I prayed on the Ovary Rosary. It was a meditative performance that put me in physical contact with the piece. After thirty minutes of praying, and hunched over on my knees, lifting and cradling each heavy ceramic ovary, I made my way slowly around the entire rosary, and in doing so my body physically ached. I wanted to include the audience in how personal the act of prayer could be. Here they were privy to my struggles as I made my way around the rosary.
From The Mother
Over all dimensions: 43" h x 109" w x 3" d (2016)
Stoneware, underglaze, glaze, stain, and mixed media.
Stoneware, underglaze, glaze, stain, and mixed media.
"From the Mother" is a large ceramic installation consisting of 46 ceramic pieces.