The designs and concepts in the ‘Factory Nail Salon’ series are inspired by and directly related to my original “Lil Tuff Chunk” (2022) object. This object and the others in this series are the beginning of my ongoing exploration into the aesthetic and cultural roots of my blue-collar familial upbringing. My father worked as a mechanic at the Ford River Rouge Factory Complex in Detroit Michigan for over 30 years, while my Mother worked as a manicurist in our small basement DIY nail salon. These object concepts are exploring the aesthetic and metaphorical links between those two worlds. In one sense, the worlds could not be farther apart from each other. While in another, they share not only unintentional utilitarian beauty via industrial and pragmatically minded creations, but also socioeconomic similarities surrounding the reality of middle-class financial income obligations.
This series focuses on experimenting and creating with the emerging and petrochemical-ree material of Bioplastics in new artwork. Agar Agar, a bio-substance derived from Red Algae seaweed, is cooked with vibrant pigmentations to create jello-fabric-like and semi-translucent materials, which are then cast in hard, clear resin and formed into new objects and shapes.
The ‘Modular Meditation Spaces’ series is centered around two main concepts: One, the prioritization and utilization of efficient space concerning the designs of larger objects intended for use in dwelling areas; And two, the intentional shifting of living habits from a strictly chair-height based tradition into a more floor-based lifestyle; a lifestyle that we once knew so well.
