Exhibitions
Bean Throne; Mud Castle
Ignition Project Space, Chicago, ILSolo Show, 2024
Bean Throne; Mud Castle considers the emergence of efficiency culture and its degrading impact on all facets of human life. Pressure to accomplish goals more quickly, cheaply, and easily now extends beyond our workplaces and into our private lives (ie: 30-minute meals, electric toothbrushes, audiobook 2x speed, and 5-minute meditations). Thanks to these clever devices, we continually streamline our relaxation and regulate our free time. In Bean Throne; Mud Castle, a satirical revolt against productivity is enacted. Embroidered wall hangings and small sculptures act as blueprints, prototypes, and demonstrations of machines whose utilities range from redundant to counterproductive: an intricate apparatus designed to store a single toothpick, a bookstand that will only hold down the first page, and elaborate compartments for individual noodles. Through gadgets that would prove distinctly unhelpful, Bean Throne; Mud Castle makes room for dysfunction and impracticality.