The bones of a mammal or the pith of a stem (shades) I; II (In the group show Garden Variety Vol. 1)
July 10, 2021
Watercolour stained gelatin, plant clippings, lightbulb and lamp cord
Approximately 16” x 16” x 14.5”; 13” x 14” x 13”
Curated by Erin Storus, Featuring Shannon Garden-Smith, Sara Maston, Alison Postma
Photos: Erin Storus; Alison Postma; Shannon Garden-Smith
Made of food-grade gelatin stained with pigment and embedded with plant clippings that I gathered on many walks that stretched across many seasons, these eccentric lamp shades are surfaces made mostly of highly processed animal collagen—bones and tendons. The hardened gelatin surfaces which preserve a lacework of dried and pressed plant clippings resemble strange wrinkled glass or acrylic, but unlike these materials, the gelatin surfaces are unstable. Vulnerable to heat and wet, they will decay in the sun and rain over time.