Maria Jose Chiang Rebatta

Political Science major

When I was a young teenager, I started to fall in love with the endless possibilities of wood. Because of this, I spent several years working at a hardware store and assisting in large-scale hydroponic designs. Having the chance to work with wood at Wellesley has been very special for me; not only did I finally make something on a smaller scale, but I was also able to represent my Peruvian heritage.

Cevichito

pine, fishing line, plaster, acrylic, metal

Jewett Hallway Galleries

For Peruvian fishermen, it is customary to carry some limes out to sea and make ceviche for lunch. I wanted to recreate this by incorporating a plaster lime I made for my ARTS 207 class to the mouth of a wooden fish. Limes are essential in Peruvian cuisine and have the power to transform a fish into ceviche, therefore it deserved to be placed on a wooden crown. Each part of the fish is hung up by fishing line signaling the catch. The line also allows for movement (try lightly touching it). The base of the fish is paying homage to the powerful Peruvian balsa, a unique kind of raft that in ancient times had the strength to travel 4,000 miles from Peru to Polynesia.

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