Bella Dama

 This body of work began with excavating our family pet and farm animal cemetery on their property in rural Pennsylvania. While teaching at Brown University, I audited an archeology class and employed the techniques I learned there on this project. Out of the excavation came Belle Dama, a sculpture made from a full-body cast of my childhood horse, Dama. Bella Dama features a cast of my horse's remains in resin adorned with an intricately beaded shroud. This shroud draws inspiration from coverings placed on Egyptian sarcophagi, Victorian-era mourning jewelry, and Christian mourning practices, such as the jeweled skeletons of "The Catacomb Saints." The hand-beaded shroud's meticulous craftsmanship is a striking contrast to the rawness of the bones beneath. In the accompanying video, the physical process unfolds as an intimate exploration of the tangible remnants of my heritage. It also serves as an inquiry into my personal mythology, beliefs, and identity. Additionally, other works in this series incorporate symbolic elements related to the cosmos, ritual objects, familial bonds, biological cycles, the underworld, and the afterlife.