Commemorative Plates
The installations in Several Collections of Commemorative Plates utilize light switch plates and outlet covers, the portals where electricity enters the domestic space. The repeated forms mass together in grid-like configurations, nodding both to the electrical grid and to the nonchalant ease with which we employ this utility. In these various iterations, the switch plates are covered and enveloped by blooming flowers, abundant natural forms overtaking and blocking access to electrical consumption.
Aesthetically, my work aims to counter the traditional reverence for form as the primary and essential element of sculpture and the resulting viewpoint that decoration is merely an accessory—subordinate, feminine, and supplementary to form—rather than meaningful in its own right. My switch plate forms are flat and utilitarian, while their decorative floral adornments bring the work to life, adding layers of dimensionality, content, and imagery.