Cavity

MSK Art Project Space
2021

A site specific sculpture that references a previous installation, while also connecting a present state of being presented in a form associated with Alta Mira.

My very first sculpture was created with the aid of Hannah Cooley. Utilizing the yellow string I found in an adjacent room, she and I created a pyramid whose base was the ceiling. In the center of the pyramid, the room’s light shone. From its peak a single line extended down into the room. At the end of the line I attached a small birdcage, one which contained a small yellow bird. One day, some time after the exhibition opening, I found the cage opened and the bird missing.

I sought a cage, a way to illustrate what I would need to prepare for in the new environments I was entering. I needed to be able to hold onto myself, to protect what I feel is at my core from the uncertainty of a new space. I found a birdcage and decided that I would, much like the Beatles song, Hide My Love Away. I built the sculpture within the cage to symbolize my intent on being present, yet reserved in my vulnerabilities.

I was asked to create a sculpture in accordance with the theme of 2021’s Houston Sculpture Month theme. Having an understanding that a cave, a cavity, a recess can contain many things. I could ask the space to vocalize my want to acknowledge a journey, a vulnerability, and a projection. If someone entered into the space, they would find a heart shaped diamond hovering just above the entrance to a cave, a recess, a cavity.