Prayer Net

2018-2020

Inkjet-printed Sakamoto paper; psalms

A paper net upon which is printed the text of the Book of Psalms in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. This antiquated translation of the Psalms, which dates from the early 17th century, is some of the first free verse in English (free verse is poetry without rhyme or meter). One of the most striking editions of the KJV was printed by the typographer John Baskerville, who was an outspoken atheist. Referencing his printing of the KJV, the text of "Prayer Net" is set in a digital Baskerville.

As nets are mostly negative space, "Prayer Net" stretches a particular text to its maximum dimensions. When tensioned, the net measures about 5 by 20 feet, but it can compress to about two cubic feet.

Pocket Cathedrals

2018

Drawn thread work on mull; eggshells, 23k gold, sewing thread

Installation of gilded eggshells, suspended in fabric ‘slings.’ The title references a comment made by one of William Morris’ collaborators: “when the book is done, if we live to finish it, it will be like a pocket cathedral.”

Materia de Frágil Supervivencia

2019

Tracing paper, graphite, 23k gold leaf, leaves

Contains three parallel, but conflicting, narratives about an 18th-century Oaxacan botanical manuscript.