2017   Sheet and furniture installation with video
           Domestic Structures at Athica, Athens, GA

In a sociopolitical climate of ever-increasing fear mongering, we are guided towards seeking protection, encouraging territorial isolation and building walls.  Often times, these measures manifest in futile attempts at safeguarding against invisible threats. The indoor household fort represents one of the original establishments of safety and security in every person’s life. It satisfied an early desire for protection and territorial autonomy, and in this isolation, we achieved both comfort and control. Despite their ineffectiveness as barricades against true physical threat, forts offered an impression of self-sufficiency and power. As adults, we recognize the playful innocence in erecting these barriers, but rarely acknowledge that our fear responses have evolved very little.

By revisiting my fort-making practice in a public gallery space I hope to instill a sense of nostalgic familiarity for viewers. In addition to providing a space to relive childhood feelings of protective solitude, the public venue offers an opportunity to share those same small, restricted spaces with others, thereby redefining their seclusive function.