Threadware

Abstract works using thread, cloth, wire and natural fibers. The exhibition is a celebration of the handmade at a time of heightened industrialization, as a quest to find a more modern expression of the materials and methods. The result are hybrid shapes and forms that echo both nature and technology. The designs were created withContinue reading "Threadware"

A Seed, Inside a Heart, Inside a Dress, Inside a Grave, Inside a Shelter, Inside Water

When does life begin? When does it end? Centered around grieving, this multi-layered work taps into Mexican death folklore, particularly the belief that Monarch butterflies embody the deceased. The site’s abundant milkweed plants (Monarch’s food) serve as the main graphic and thematic element. The fragility of life and the futility of the Monarch’s migration areContinue reading "A Seed, Inside a Heart, Inside a Dress, Inside a Grave, Inside a Shelter, Inside Water"

Who Are We

A collaborative exploration of form, light and density. A latex curtain provides a diffused presence of the human body, which gets weighted and deformed as it balances on the edge of a water body. Performance by Alicia Marvan and Johannes Zits. Video and sculpture by Anne O'Callaghan. Presented whilst in residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point,Continue reading "Who Are We"

Knot Garden

Inspired by local landscape and social entanglements, this performative playground uses local abundant materials such as sand and rope. A collaboration with Johannes Zits, created while in residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point, Toronto Island. Presented with support from The Tree Museum, the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council.

Family Portrait

Life-sized sculptural forms designed to frame, reflect, surround or shelter the human body. The sculptures are made of discarded wood: leftovers from construction projects, fallen branches, and bark cutouts from a neighbor's woodlot. To me, the red pine bark looked like pink salmon scales; the white pine knots suggested golden-tanned skin, and twisty zumac branchesContinue reading "Family Portrait"

Alegría

Edible sculptures incorporating history and nourishment through a visual-poetic synthesis of literature from the Spanish conquest in Mexico. Extracting symbology about gold and amaranth (two goods that suffered from colonization), the project draws physical and conceptual parallels between the two materials. Amaranth, a little-known crop of the Americas, is grown either as a grain cropContinue reading "Alegría"

Crafting the Future

At the "Crafting the Future" workshop, part of DEAF (Dutch Electronic Arts Festival) in Rotterdam, I embarked on a creative journey with a group of design professionals from Italy, Brazil, the Netherlands and Germany. The two-day workshop introduced me to 3d printing (a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file), and posed the challenge: Can 3d printingContinue reading "Crafting the Future"

Negotiating the Divide

A movement study created in response to the thread & cement installations by Fae Young-Scherling, on display in Atwater Place as part of McBride’s site-based installation showcase About Space. Garments by Alicia Marván. Choreography by Heidi Diaz. Sculpture by Fae Young-Scherling. At Heidi McBride Gallery, Portland, OR. Duration: 20 minutes.

Analogous Structures

A site-specific performance amongst Ernesto Neto’s fragrant installation “Mother Body Emotional Densitites, for Alive Temple Time Baby Son”, made of lycra and spices. Concept and direction: Alicia Marván. Development and performance: Jane Blount, Ron Estes, Justin Morrison, Leslie Seiters and Jessica Radulovich. Commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Duration: 30 minutes. https://vimeo.com/7583291