Collaboration is at the root of all creation. Each and every object is touched by many hands, both human and nonhuman: from the growth of raw materials, to their preparation and realization. However, with the prevalence of industrialization and automation, this labor is increasingly outsourced, fractured, and hidden from view. Still, individual makers form an enduring chain of collaboration.
Everything I make is about interaction. Through the practices of mending, hand-poked tattooing, and book making, I am integrated with others’ lives. While mended garments and tattoos exist on the body itself, books give access to images and text through physical handling. My tended-to objects are meant to be touched and caressed, to be held in the hand.
I use slow, hand-based processes to collaborate with found materials, from handwritten notes to garments to family photo albums. I am a steward, taking part in a chain of makers and caretakers to build and restore functionality to loved objects. I work within the larger context of community: the connections we form with each other, the daily moments of intimacy that teach us about one another, and the interaction of touch.