Mourning Brooch 2003 copper, enamel, plastic flowers, sterling silver 5 x 2 x 1" Photo: Natalya Pinchuk

My recent body of work explores the friction between the histories, designations and the social uses of materials. I originally became interested in working with plastic flowers due to the extensive use of these objects in cemeteries while commemorating the ultimate natural act death. As a result, the pieces explore the tension inherent in our relationship to nature and the artificial. Attractive and colorful, these imaginary and fantastic landscapes come alive only when one puts them onto the landscape of one's body. By putting these pieces onto the body, I hope to create a questioning of what is precious and what is real in our daily lives when we cover reality in artifice.