- National Geographic (2024)
Steel, Plywood, Polyurethane, Polypropylene, Vinyl, Polyester Flocking
National Geographic is post-colonial public relations. The lion is a mirage, a miracle cited like an image of Jesus on a pancake. Animals’ feet have been an integral part of expressive making since the Neolithic era, taking on a constant flurry of new meanings as their contexts shift. The lion’s foot entered the world of design as a symbol of colonial power in Europe, abstracting and flattening the lion into a simulation of itself, much like the maps of the empire. The rugs, skins and prints of the cheetah do much the same. “Today abstraction is no longer that of the map” (Baudrillard). Today abstraction is a complete irreverence for material origin and history, a collage of conflicting realities that renders material, form and production completely alienated from each other. National Geographic is the tragic comedy that these overlapping vignettes produce. It is just another punchline hot off the press in the morning; it is the chaos embodied.
Displayed at RISD ICFF Wanted 2025 Booth at Javits Center, NYC
Displayed at RISD ICFF Wanted 2025 Booth at Javits Center, NYC