The School of Fiber Chambers

Untitled (Mama), 2024, wool, aluminum silk screen frame, silk scarves

The transformational power of sheep’s wool is thrilling. Water, soap and bare hands convert these wispy fibers into a boundless array of dimensional forms. Throughout this residency, I have let loose the reins on former methods of construction to embrace new techniques and strategies of fabrication with wool. My studio has become The School of Fiber Chambers, a frenetic laboratory of experimentation and risk intended to expand the future designs of the Fiber Chambers body of work. The result of this intensive material is a surreal fusion of wet-felted wool with locally sourced found objects, secondhand fabrics, and video screens. Though some of these whimsical juxtapositions of form and material may feel light and even silly, the study is serious and purposeful. When approaching new work, I never want to be trapped by my intentions. The School of Fiber Chambers has become a mindset as much as anything else. It is a reminder of the significance of looking closely and responding to the material in front of you. The plan was to develop new directions for a specific body of work…the journey has spawned much more than that.

Exhibited at Akron Soul Train
November 20th - December 22nd, 2024

Waves series

Waves 1, 2022, wool, silk, sound, video, digital photo frame

Through media objects, I’m addressing the precarious state of being out-of-body in order to consider how we manage physical and mental trauma. The wall-mounted objects in the Waves series offer abstract video content on household digital photo frames encased in fiber. Silk gauze and wool felt lattice present as ethereal appendages to the haunting little screens. Viewers are encouraged to lean in close to catch glimpses of the lush video and oddly warbling sound. The felt appears to be lit from within as the video saturates its fibers. The video content for all works in the Waves series was produced in the same manner. Since 2015 I have been experimenting with the real-space simulation of computer-generated special effects using handwoven textiles I create with mirrored mylar. All video is shot in slow-motion while I physically manipulate the woven mylar draped on a green grape arbor wet with dew and blanketed with sunlight. The sound is simply the slowed buzz of the bugs and birds of the arbor. At a time of perpetual shared trauma, I offer this work as a space for healing, rest and beguiling bliss.

Vessel Studies

Untitled 4 (Vessel Study), 2023, wool

While at a residency in Denmark associated with Det Vilde Spinderi (a wool processing mill dedicated to regional wool production) I explored experimentation with the vessel form in wet felted wool.  I selected the wool I worked with from their inventory. This is the first time I was able to explore the wildly varied characteristics of wool from different breeds of sheep. I also visited a number of secondhand stores in Denmark to gather sheer scarves to incorporate into some of the vessels. Though I’d begun this practice in the US, I believe the time in Denmark solidified my fascination with the hunt for a found material to fuse with wool.