Portfolio > What’s The Commodity?

What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification.
ceramic, wood, home depot lid, fasteners, gift box, plastic tubing, grinding wheel, level, pvc fitting, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
15 x 6 x 8'
2013
self portrait
gift box, wood, fasteners
18 x 18 x 5"
2013
What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification.
ceramic, wood, home depot lid, fasteners, gift box, plastic tubing, grinding wheel, level, pvc fitting, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
15 x 6 x 8'
2013
What’s The Commodity?
ceramic, wood, home depot lid, plastic tubing, grinding wheel, level, pvc fitting
18 x 14 x 5"
2013
What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification.
ceramic, wood, home depot lid, fasteners, gift box, plastic tubing, grinding wheel, level, pvc fitting, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
2013
What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification.
ceramic, wood, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
5 x 2 x 4'
2013
What’s The Commodity?
ceramic, wood, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
2013
What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification.
ceramic, plumbing fixture, anti skid rubber flooring
18 x 10 x 3"
2013
"The evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornament from objects of daily use." - Adolf Loos Ornament and Crime, 1908
wood, construction fencing, glue, zip ties
12 x 15 x 4"
2013
"The evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornament from objects of daily use." - Adolf Loos Ornament and Crime, 1908
wood, construction fencing, glue, zip ties
12 x 15 x 4"
2013

What’s The Commodity? Addresses architectural ornament and the balance between historical preservation and gentrification. The installation reads left to right beginning with a repurposed DEP barrier set aside to indicate the viewer has full access to this site. For the first time, I have injected myself into the work through the vehicle of self-portrait. This self-portrait is presented as a gift box containing fasteners used in installations dating back to 2008 to create a historical time-line referencing my research and previous works that explore urbanism. A vignette of terra cotta ornament and plastics searches for balance, while the titular line, "What's the Commodity?" is explored through the terra cotta shipping pallets. The installation concludes with architectural fragments serving as metaphor for transition. As a whole, the work questions how our neighborhoods are being marketed and how they can be responsibly gentrified.