Grit to an Oyster (2022)
Portland cement, repair mortar, charcoal tint, fiberglass mesh, bonding adhesive, plaster, sand, laser print on copy paper, laser etching, latex print on cotton, water, sound, touch
This sculptural work is paired in equal hierarchy with a looped cello score that I composed and played myself, projected from two dual pairing speakers at opposing sides of the slab. The eight-minute looped cello score grows from delicate plucking to crushing dissonant chords. As viewers walk around the slab, the dissonance resolves itself and transitions to calm, then back again.
The cement slab itself, representing the hard outer shell of the oyster, is rubbed in charcoal and holds shallow still water. It hovers over its more delicate components: a repetitively laser etched plaster cast depicting resilient Bull Thistle, images of my own self-soothing and tenacious touch, and a sand-pearl from Lake Michigan. This piece pinpoints the affective tension point between weight/levity, harmony/dissonance, and reservation/seduction.
