ART + MAKING
Truth the Cat Mask
Welding Project
Truth the Cat Mask is a welding project. The cat-like mask has three eyes, sharp elements pointing outward, big ears, and no mouth. The mask is a metaphorical artifact: through wearing it, it should be easier for the wearer to seek out truth. Made of steel and yarn, the mask should bring you strength and comfort you'll need in your search.
The mind is watching. The bottom two eyes are crossed out, while the third on top stays open. Even when you refuse to see the truth with your own two eyes, the mask suggests your mind should still be open. Even if you don't want to see the truth, you will still know of its existence.
​
The corners are sharp. Once ready to search, put on the mask and be granted protection. Let the mask tear through the lying world with its sharpness and guide you to the truth.
​
Silent and perceptive. The lack of mouth and presence of big ears is no coincidence. Do not speak or interrupt, just listen and perceive. The truth is just around the corner.
​
​
Miss Ruben
Plaster Mini-Projects
The objective of this sculpture project was to combine a hand with a thrifted item. The item that spoke to me in this case was a kitty coin bank. With a little thought, the idea for Miss Ruben was born.
​
I cast the kitty bank and my hand in alginate, trying to replicate an animal head with my gesture. This was my first time working with plaster as a sculpture medium, so it took some time and broken (plaster) fingers to replace the cat head with my hand. Nowadays Miss Ruben is very good at wearing rings and holding sunglasses.
​
After Miss Ruben was completed, her original head still remained. To not waste such a nice form, I painted her pink and drew her a new personality.
Goose Bonnie
Multimedia Project
The objective of this sculpture project was to make a creature out of thrifted products. In this case, I used two goose neck lamps and a decorative reindeer.
​
I removed the deer's head, neck, and tail, replacing them with two goose necks with clamps on the ends. Since the clamps reminded me of an animal's head, I left the front clamp on and replaced the rear clamp with a tail of the reindeer. In the process of adding metal to the creature, I decided to unify the body more by replacing its leg with a clamp and putting screws into the body. I used plaster to sculpt out new body texture for the creature, and then painted it. Goose Bonnie was born.
​
Goose Bonnie is an extraterrestrial cyborg, with silvery metal replacing and enhancing some of her body parts. She loves being outside and holding things for your convenience.
Stray Mailbox
Woodworking Collaborative Project
Stray Mailbox is a result of two people coming together to design a playful, yet functional artifact. ​The project is a combination of wood, metal, and string. The mailbox is also a tribute to one of the collaborators' rescue cat (pictured at the end).
​
The tail and the eyes are connected by a string. The concept is such that whenever the eyes are out of the sockets, it indicates that there is mail in the box. Once the mail is removed through the back door, the addressee can crank the tail to slide the eyes back in - indicating an empty mailbox. The metal teeth act both as a theft deterrent and a weight, enabling the mouth to snap with force and scare away mail thieves.
