Artist Statement: Fragments
This series of brooches, titled Fragments, was influenced by recent political unrest that has led to a decline of diversity and culture. This deterioration has been manifested both at home and abroad through events such as the violent clashes in Charlottesville and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage by ISL. I choose to represent this regression visually through the use of fragmented patterns in these brooches. The surface design of each piece is indicative of a different culture and created utilizing historic metalsmithing techniques such as champlevé, inlay, damascene, and marriage of metals. Each fragmented pattern is backed with cement and protruding infrastructure remnants, designed to appear as though they have been pulled from the rubble. This juxtaposition of beauty and destruction is meant to open an avenue to discussion of loss due to this cultural upheaval.