Bodily Imprints

December 2024

Scripps College, Claremont CA

In this piece, I explore the intimate connections between the human body and the wearable items that accompany us daily, examining how these objects retain traces of our presence. Using silicone mold-making and plaster casting, I created sculptures of a purse with an indentation of being carried under my armpit, and high heels with imprints of my feet in the insoles. The final sculptures show exaggerated representations of how our belongings hold evidence of us or previous owners, highlighting the beauty in prolonged use and wear and tear. I am interested in the ways that wearable items can act as extensions of ourselves, marking our individuality and experiences through things such as tears, creases, scuff marks, dents, and imprints. By embedding fleeting moments that we often try to conceal into hardened, permanent forms, I memorialize and bring attention to moments of interaction between my body and objects like a purse and shoes. In a culture so focused on acquiring the next new thing, it becomes increasingly difficult to form meaningful relationships with our belongings, which goes hand in hand with creating excessive fashion waste as a result of frequent buying and discarding. My work seeks to push against this mindset by elevating worn objects to symbols of value, beauty, and significance. I encourage viewers to reflect on their interactions with the items that they wear and use and contemplate how objects have the potential to hold memories and identity, ultimately heightening their value and distinctiveness.