Creatures
In the Creatures series, the remnants of everyday physical labor—fabric scraps from Los Angeles garment factories and railroad spikes—are brought to life through their materiality and physicality. In garment production, layers of fabric are cut away, leaving behind scraps, the negative space of the final products. These remnants serve as tangible proof of factory labor. They are rust-dyed with railroad spikes, recalling the exploited Chinese immigrant laborers who built the transcontinental railroad. Sewn edge-to- edge, the irregular shapes of the fabric scraps form unexpected, somewhat monstrous three-dimensional shapes. Through the hum of vacuum pumps and the breathing movements, the invisible—working-class factory workers, largely immigrants—return, resist, and reclaim.
Creature 1, 2024, Rust-dyed fabric scraps, electronic parts, vacuum pumps, silicone hose, brass fittings, inflatable, Approx. 30 x 11 x 11 in / Inflated
Creature 1 deflated
Installation view (FOCA, Los Angeles, CA)
Creature 5, 2024, Rust-dyed fabric scraps, Approx. 21 x 27 x 12 in