H O L D / F A S T
Hold/Fast is a collection of soft sculptures created from hardware store and discarded domestic materials: chicken wire, landscaping aggregate, drop cloth, galvanized steel wire, and RIT dye. The sculptures resemble seaweeds which do not have roots. Instead, the kelp attaches itself to rocks via twisting, grippy holdfasts in an effort to stay firmly in one place.
Individually, the sculptures represent the tethered relationship between Mother and Child- the heavy, solid rock being the Mother, and the dreamy kelp-like flora as the Child. Through the visual contrast and relationship between the two, I explore physical closeness, the dissolution of boundaries, and the idea that my small child still very much feels like an extension of my own body. Although the weight of responsibility keeps me grounded as The Mother, I am constantly untangling these feelings of suffocation, absurdity and sweetness. This work is kindled not only by my experiences in early parenthood but by the compounding effects of pandemic isolation.
