During a two month residency in Padula, Italy, I worked exclusively with found materials- gifted silk threads, vintage textiles, tea towels, sausage casing from the local general store, and most notably, pasta. Through wrapping, beading and stitching, I transformed these objects into my own type of totems, evoking themes of devotion, transformation, and memory.
I was reminded of my Catholic upbringing- the ritual and devotion- but I was more drawn to pre-Christian pagan traditions. I am continuing my research into the mystic cults of Magna Graecia and have begun creating a body of work inspired by Italy’s churches- focusing specifically on reliquaries- exploring the tension between the sacred and the handmade, the ephemeral and the eternal.