Crumpled Earth
Found metal roofing, painted and drill-drawn. Variable dimensions, approx. 84 x 60 x 38 inches, 2024.
Realized during the KC Recology Artist in Residence Program, Seattle, WA
Crumpled Earth is a sculptural installation that emerged from my time at the Recology MRF facility, where I worked daily with discarded materials—objects whose initial usefulness had expired. Through this process, I discovered that my art involves extending the lifecycle of these materials, giving them a new purpose in what I consider their post-formation phase. This phase exists beyond traditional reuse, in a space of transformation where decay and abandonment become fertile grounds for new artistic possibilities.
The crumpled metal roofing pieces I’ve chosen carry the visible marks of their history—bent, worn, and scarred by their prior use and neglect. This notion of facture, or the traces of making, plays a central role in my work. I am interested in how these surfaces tell a story through every fold, crumple, and scratch. As I manipulate the materials, I add to their narrative, creating new layers of meaning while honoring their past.
The title Crumpled Earth refers both to the physical crumpling of the metal and a larger metaphor for the impact of human activity on the planet. The drawn contour lines in the work evoke the scoring and tracing of the earth—attempts to measure and control nature in familiar ways, yet insufficient. These lines remind us of the tension between human efforts to map and understand the environment and the broader, often destructive, impact we have on it. This installation touches on environmental issues, reflecting on how our relationship with the natural world mirrors the process of creation, destruction, and transformation visible in the materials themselves.