Laine
For more than a decade, my work has been inspired by the reproductive journey of my mother, Elaine, and other womb-bearing people. From teen pregnancy to abortion, I have listened to, learned from, and made art with people who bravely shared their experiences. My mother’s voice has often been part of this collective narrative; Laine, however, is a long overdue spotlight on our shared story.
Artist Statement (continued)
Laine was born out of an interview between my mother and me, originally recorded for Young Mothers in 2015. In the captured audio, Elaine shares her experience as a pregnant high school student during the 1990’s in rural Arizona. Her story details the complicated family dynamics, joys, and heartbreaks that came with the unplanned pregnancy and my birth.
In 2023, I revisited the interview to create nine separate audio segments, each holding their own meaning, and imbedded them into objects that viewers can interact with. I then developed mixed media and fiber artworks to visually represent each part of the story. Unified by my mother’s voice and our family’s archive, I experimented with photography, sound, and tactility to explore how memories are influenced by formative emotions and existing documentation.
Through made and found objects, visitors were invited to listen to parts of the recording as they view each piece, or follow along by reading the transcript and seeing reproductions of the source material in the book created to accompany the installation.
2023 - 2024