Navel String, 2020, mixed media

This installation was inspired by Mexican folklore of a ceremonial burial of a newborns umbilical cord. Traditionally, when a child is born the umbilical cord is buried in a location where they will always feel like home. In a way, the burial is a way to keep the child grounded to their roots and the child will never stray physically or mentally away from ‘home’. I combined found and recorded sounds like (cats meow, dog barking, trains and beer can opening) with music to portray an active and lively home and using a ranchero song I grew up listening to. The context of the the song is about a young man who is sad that his love left on a ship and he wished a hurricane would come and stop her from leaving. I made use of familiar materials like recycled cardboard for the house and chiffon fabric for the curtains. I formed polyfil for the clouds for a sense of time of day, yarn to represent the umbilical cord that trails from dirt to the home and popsicle sticks to create a perimeter. Inside I placed a lamp that would emit a warm glow from the windows of the home giving it a sense of welcoming. The made soundscape is tied to my Mexican-American roots from growing up in Houston, TX along with the kindness and love I felt growing up at my grandparents home.

Fault Lines, mixed media, 2020

I used a combination of wood burning, paper and metal to complete this project. I was really interested in Hans Arp wood sculptures and wanted to do something similar but include moveable parts. The first image is a video of how the paper images move with the wood cut out of a mountain. I made a stand so it can stand up in a gallery setting.I used a miter saw, hand saw and sandpaper to achieve the shape. I used a solder gun to wood burn into the wood. Finally I used gold wire with various kinks to achieve the up/down effect.