Sense Surrogates

Toys, skins, surrogates for feeling.

Sense Surrogates was the title of my solo exhibition presented at Grand View University in Des Moines, Autumn of 2022. The exhibition featured works from the Braille Series.

Hug is an interactive body sculpture covered with excerpts from the Kama Sutra transcribed into braille and embroidered onto the fur using beads to represent the braille dots. “Hug” references the surrogate lover, a comforting imaginary friend, a punching bag, a carcass, or a teddy bear for adults.

Exhibition installation: Sense Surrogates

Full Installation View: Hug is composed of synthetic fur, polyester fiberfill, glass beads, and sisal rope.

Detail Views: Hug is covered in text excerpted from the Kama Sutra transcribed into braille beaded text.

Extension, appendage, tail, a toy.

Pet is a wearable object that can be worn either on one's back or chest. Braille text is beaded onto the finger-crocheted twine using glass beads and pearls, with bits of fleece incorporated into the crochet work. The braille text is an excerpt from a quote by Matthew Arnold spelling "the joy and the proof" repetitively like a 3-D mantra.

Detail & Full Installation Views: Pet is made of finger-crocheted twine, leather, fleece, glass beads, and steel.

Detail Views: Pet is composed of finger-crocheted twine and braille text beaded onto the twine using tiny pink beads. The braille is a transcription of a quote from Matthew Arnold.

Interactive Performance: Pet is a wearable sculpture (front or back).

Animals/Humans carry parasites.

Hide creates a stand-in for an animal. Animal bodies have been deeply embedded in historic folklore and are used to imbue certain emotions and (human or animal) instinctual qualities. Here the braille text recounts the story of the animal/human relationship in the childrens’ fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood.