Insectarium

This project challenged me finishing off this semester. A self directed project, with choice of material, themes, and context. For my overall themes I focused on nostalgia and melancholy, while exploring emotion that resonates and evolves with the viewer. These themes occur repeatedly in my current portfolio. I created my insect display with a mixture of ceramics and lace, with additional wire and framing. Using clay for my base material, I explored the way my hands work with it and how I utilize it as a material to enhance my concepts. Shaping and molding my ideas are still new processes for me, as I usually work in two-dimensional mediums. Holding the small bugs in your hand adds to the personable and vulnerable parts of myself I’m sharing with the audience. The lace was an addition of delicacy and complexity, as lace has been associated with sensuality and femininity for centuries. I chose to pair it with the fragile ceramic bugs to highlight these feminine and gentle qualities. Each bug mirrors a part of myself from growing up. They all symbolize pieces that have been molded together to create the mosaic of who I am. I chose to repeat some smaller elements like the baby teeth or the small skulls, even though they aren’t exact copies, they still create rhythm and emphasis. Using these recurring icons, I created a visual flow and drew attention to the larger elements. I learned how to spray-glaze and load the kiln during this project. I didn’t create even layers when I spray-glazed, so all the bugs turned out slightly different, but it was still a great learning experience! This final project expanded on my previous project, my mold making/casting project where I also played with ideas of insects and representation of myself through their tiny bodies. The bug display creates a sense of preservation and intimacy, best suited for gallery settings, it invites close observation and appeals to audiences. Intended as a window into my heart, the audience views this display to critique and observe the most vulnerable parts of my being.