Drawing on my background in performance and theater design, I have been turning to the principles of physical theatre and devised performance as a methodology for object making. In the studio I ask, how do I see and respond to what is happening in front of me, rather than reacting to an idea of something? What can be uncovered once I allow myself to act on all initial impulses? Physical theatre prioritizes the body as the foundational site for the development of meaning, stretching the possibilities of movement and gesture to illuminate something closer to truth. Bringing these principles into the studio, I am wondering how, or if, iterative object making can lead to performative experience. 

Central to this inquiry is the figure of the clown or fool. Historically positioned at the edge of power the fool can subvert authority and widely understood social rules under the guise of buffoonery. With this theatrical framework, in tandem with my practice as a garment maker and craftsperson, I make sculptures that toe the line between familiar and strange. Through chopping up, sewing together, frosting, drilling, upholstering, smothering, and lighting on fire, I aim to make curious encounters that lead a viewer to guffaw, cackle, roll their eyes, retch, and leave with a lightness in their heart and a pit in their stomach.