DEMO 2026 PROPOSAL

YOU ARE MADE OF STARDUST + MICROPLASTICS

I am a sculptor, weaver, educator, and connoisseur of discards. My work explores cultures of sustainability and disposability, the sublime nature of the Anthropocene, and the lessons of geologic time. In my process, I embrace a non-hierarchical consideration of tools and technology, engaging the embodied knowledge of skilled handcraft methodologies alongside digital design and fabrication.

The ongoing project that I would like to present at DEMO is an installation that troubles the ambiguous grief of our time- a sense of helplessness in the face of loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and climate change. You Are Made of Stardust + Microplastics is an edition of cast HDPE (#2 plastic) fossils paired with a guided meditation video that eases humans through a gentle acceptance of their own impending extinction, alongside that of our plant and animal kin. The contemplative plastic object is intended for touch and interaction prompted by the monologue and breathwork of the video.

The cast HDPE fossils were created through a process that began with digging through the trash collecting #2 plastic (HDPE), cutting and cleaning thousands of HDPE containers, designing the mold, and melting the HDPE on a panini press to cast the forms. This mode of production is an inefficient factory for sequestering plastic and for transforming the value of the trash into precious talismans worthy of keeping.

I want this work to be (and keep becoming) a ritual for the collective grief of a real-time extinction. I want individuals and groups of loved ones and strangers to gather and be able to express their grief and listen to that of others.'

At DEMO, the cast HDPE fossils will be featured on a custom-made stand (approx 3x8 ft), the top of which is a basin for beach debris, shrouded by a veil of sheer fabric, with the fossils on top. Visitors are invited to hold the fossils to their ears and listen for the sound of the ocean. The guided meditation video will be looped on a large monitor on the floor, and visitors may sit on pillows and engage with the meditation. Depending on the available space, I’m open to workshopping the arrangement of the video and the display stand for the fossils. I'm open to swapping the guided meditation video for a voice-to-text function of audience participation where the text would appear as a scrolling tickertape on neopixel screens that are embedded in a weaving displayed behind the fossil stand.

Additional info:

This work is mostly finished. The fossils are complete. The remaining work for DEMO includes editing the meditation video from 25 minutes down to 10 minutes; fabricating the stand to display the fossils; and depending on the space available, I would like to create a bit more of an installation to situate the work. The installation would include a new jacquard woven fabric that I can weave before April, which holds integrated electronics that would display voice-to-text submissions from visitors who reflect on their feelings around issues of climate change. This woven fabric would be similar to a piece that is included in my portfolio.