Compartments

The original idea for assembling these objects was to explore fields of inquiry. I tinkered with different subject matter. Eventually, the scope deepened and each Compartment stood alone. They came to represent psychological associations, the hidden thoughts and feelings that reflect upon themselves internally.

Starting with a photograph provided both background and subject for the objects. The gems are from a broken bracelet. The kookaburra feather is a souvenir from Australia. A motherboard from a discarded computer, the lens from an old camera, and a scale ruler and crumpled mathematical tables which belonged to my father-in-law, an acoustical engineer. The six dangling screws held my husband’s hip together until they were replaced. The little puzzle was missing a piece. Their original function is no longer—they are now part of something else.

My studio neighbor, Paul Hofmann, gave me the wood boxes in 2022. Shortly afterwards, while walking in north Berkeley I found a biography of Joseph Cornell in a Little Free Library. These called me to compose photographs and objects in the boxes. The original box lids were replaced with gallery frames to formalize the arrangements and tie the group together.

2023. Mixed media, unique boxes, each 16 x 14 x 3.5 inches.