ETRUSCAN INSPIRED
2011 - 2012
Materials: Silver 925
Photographs: Marissa Racht Ryan
I collect little bits of detritus that mankind and nature have discarded along the way. In turn, I try to make sense of these objects and appreciate them as pieces a larger puzzle, or map. I do this by taking seemingly worthless items and juxtaposing them with highly valued materials such a jewels and precious metals. For this, I continue to collect found objects at home and abroad.
I treat the objects as if I were collecting specimens from one of the archeological digs I visited in conservation school, trying to preserve them and tell their story for future cultures to appreciate. They help me become more aware of my greater environment and the space that I inhabit. Whether it be an olive leaf or cypress bud that I picked up on a path in the hills around Cortona, or a cocktail sword I found in a gutter outside of a cafe, the material transformation from garbage to precious object allows me to give them a more tangible, lasting element.