In and Out

This sculpture, titled “In and Out,” began as a personal meditation on change, specifically, my impending move to Philadelphia and the emotional and physical upheaval that comes with leaving behind a community. What started as a way to cope evolved into a layered exploration of identity, memory, and systems of value.

The foundation of the piece is made from laser-cut wood panels shaped to resemble tree stumps, symbolic markers of time, history, and interruption. These wooden forms are collaged with imagery from 1970s furniture and decorating ads, many of which were overtly targeted at women. As I worked with these materials, I began to reflect on how domestic aesthetics, consumerism, and gender roles intersect. The imagery evoked both nostalgia and critique, prompting questions about who these idealized interiors were really for and what roles women were expected to play within them.

Frosted mylar rings, layered atop the wood surfaces, reference tree rings, a depiction of growth, age, and memory. These translucent layers speak to the idea that we are composed of every version of ourselves, our past always present beneath the surface. The act of collaging these fragments onto the stumps became symbolic of my relocation and transformation: physically moving, emotionally processing, and conceptually growing.

Two kinetic elements extend from the piece, each with small branches at its top and strips of recycled fabric cascading from the bottom. One is labeled “in,” the other “out.” Together, they form a simple yet potent critique of capitalist consumption: we take from the earth, package it, sell it, discard it, and repeat. The branches, once living, echo this cycle of extraction, while the movement of these elements represents the constant flux of systems, economic, environmental, and personal.

Though the conceptual layers emerged over time, the piece’s initial impulse was intuitive. It was only through the act of making that I arrived at its deeper meanings. My creative process is often how I process life itself. This sculpture is a record of that journey; a reflection of personal change and a critique of broader societal patterns, all embedded within materials that carry both memory and message.