Cage Piece
A durational performance drawing upon fashion history and quantum theory.
it was willing
holding it all in
keeping you out
In the making of the sculptural garment I was considering a long-time fascination with the crinoline and similar hooped fashions from the 18th century. These objects extended the body and transformed it into a site of display, where increased surface area and eye-catching shape provided more surface area for the beholder to perceive woven fabrics and embroidered details. I was curious about the wearer’s internal state as she wore such a garment, and imagined that there was an entire world actively taking place within the boundaries of the skirt as the wearer went about her day.
At the time, I was also studying the shapes of atomic orbitals, which are functions describing the location and wave-like behavior of electrons in atoms. The doubled and symmetrical cage structures together make up a 2py orbital. In the same way that orbitals can be used to calculate the probability of finding an alectron in a specific region around the nucleus, but cannot define a specific location of any given electron, I wanted to create a create a sense of unknowability within the crinoline’s form.
Performance utilizing sculpture made of welded steel and painted wood at 630 Flushing, Brooklyn, NY organized by peitho collective, 2018. Run time 45 minutes.