I began making molds of mechanical fasteners in 2023 with the aim of combining them with my blue collar textile-based soft sculptures. The pieces quickly took on a life of their own and I have since expanded this series of experiments with zippers and forms of vegetation.
In these works, zippers are removed from used clothing and reproduced in metal to recreate floral motifs. I started this series by making purely abstract compositions in wax from a collection of different sizes and types of zippers. A casting error sent me back to the drawing board and changed my initial idea. I learned how to weld aluminum and recombined salvageable pieces from my initial composition into a new form. The piece reminded me of a bouquet of flowers and I began to imagine making forms ranging from rose windows to garlands and daisy chains out of zippers.
This new body of work involves opening, closing, cast zippers and botanical forms (nests, memorial wreaths, sticks and stems).
Bouquet, 2024, 24” x 34” x 4.5,” Cast aluminum.
Burgeon, 2025, 10” x 16” x 13,” 25 cm x 40 cm X 33 cm, Cast aluminum.
Laurel, 2025, 14″ x 15″ x 7,” Cast Aluminum.