Artist Statement: Rocks, Sensational Domestic & Conversation Pieces

Rocks

Fabric and needlepoint both hold great importance in my life due to my family's relation to the medium (my mother originally taught me embroidery as a child and my grandmother was an amateur lace-maker). I am also interested in the connection between contemporary hip-hop culture and the colloquialism "rocks" and how it has come to represent diamonds and expensive jewelry. I wanted to create a link between some of the notable hip-hop pioneers and the vast subject of geology through the medium of needlepoint samplers. Some of the song lyrics reference rocks; some do not. All of these particular selections were chosen because they are clever, funny, or nostalgic.

Sensational Domestic

A gigantic tower of pancakes originally inspired the photographs and embroidery of Sensational Domestic. The embroidered quotes are taken from interviews with the subjects of the photographs. I interview the people I know to see how they react to subjects such as food, daily annoyances, and the weather. The people are photographed at their home, sometimes during their interview. Other times the interview is separate and conducted over a cup of tea.

Conversation Pieces

The photographs of Conversation Pieces are accompanied by a music soundtrack composed by digitally processing interviews and violin. The music continually plays on parabolic speakers suspended above the images.