Currently, I am investigating the act of holding space for that which we cannot physically touch.

My work is informed by a hybridization of the histories and traditions of Metalsmithing & Jewelry with basketry weaving--wherein I am weaving metal into basket forms. This is how I give my objects a solid skeleton, adding structural integrity while reinforcing the preservation of what is only now being able to take form, giving my concepts a tactility that shifts traditional basketry materials. The technique of coiling references Sierra Leonean fanner baskets and the many facets that are involved in memory.

Working with the history of an estranged extended family dynamic, my baskets are emotional vessels; a means to cultivate and process love, understanding, relationships, and grief. These objects are designed to hold space, to hold the intangible, the thoughts and feelings that we all have but are unable to wrap our hands around. With that in mind, it is integral to my practice that this particular attempt at vulnerability is centered around the baskets interactions with the body. They carry the weight of memories, breath, and people, those that are absent and those that are lost. By engaging with their forms, the baskets become receptacles through which it is possible to find closure. Being able to share space with these objects, cradle them against your cheek, hold them between the palms of your hands, and nestle them close to your chest, is part and parcel of the healing process. It’s a way of bridging the gap between what you have and what you don’t.