Sensorium

The installation Sensorium was created in response to my recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by nerve, joint, and muscular pain. For me, this pain manifests as waves of sharp sensations, like pinpricks, that travel from head to toe. Each hanging piece serves as a daily record, capturing the fluctuating intensity of the condition—some days overwhelming, other times almost nonexistent; sometimes it spreads throughout my body, other times it’s isolated to a single finger, leg, or foot. Its unpredictability can be disorienting. Upon stepping into the sculpture, the viewer is enveloped by these sensations, experiencing a visceral sense of fear, euphoria, isolation, and awe.

The installation consists of 130 pieces, each crafted from pure white porcelain pierced with glass-headed sewing pins, then fired in a kiln at 2300°F. At this extreme temperature, the pins char, the glass melts, and the porcelain becomes permanently altered. The pieces are suspended by over three miles of black thread, creating a sense of both fragility and strength.