Book Stacks
As someone who struggles with reading, I don’t own many books. As a matter of fact the only books I have in my room are notebooks, textbooks, and an encyclopedia of every character from Doctor Who. To create these bookstacks, I went home to where I grew up and used the large collection of books I bought but never read as a kid.
This is evident in the young adult and children’s titles and reflected in the light funny stories they tell when put together.
Text: HOW TO FEED YOURSELF / AMONG THEIVES
In my bookstacks, I wanted to create short funny stories or poems. I have always enjoyed short stories, especially absurd comedic ones.
When I stumbled across a cookbook titled How To Feed Yourself I knew I had to pair it with something unexpected. I had already paired Among Thieves with some other books, but I couldn’t pass up how perfectly it worked with the cookbook.
I really enjoy this book stack because it just sparks the imagination. I imagine traveling with a band of thieves like Robin Hood and his merry men and having to fight them off to eat.
Tezt: I SURVIVED / FOUR / Sisters
This bookstack pokes fun at what its like growing up with siblings. While I did not have four sisters, I had two and we all shared a room our entire lives. As much as it was fun sometimes and I loved my sisters, my story with them often felt more like one of survival. When creating this stack the colors worked out perfectly, with I Survived and Sisters being very similar shades of blue, bordering Four making a very balanced image. It was also very satisfying to see that all 3 books had whitish-grey lettering for the titles.
Text: THERE WAS AN OLD LADY / On the Moon
This book stack was the last one I created. I thought it’d be a fun challenge to create something using only young children’s books and their very direct titles. On The Moon was the first one I chose to use. The contrasting black and white caught my eye because all the other story books were bright colors. I also liked the possibilities of the title. I looked for the most absurd title that could be on the moon and landed on There was an old Lady.
The Image that comes to mind when reading this book stack is quite entertaining. I can just see the round old lady, Standing on the moon – I don’t know why, perhaps she’ll die!
Toronto Biennial of Art Field Trip
Passing (2022) Maria Ezcurra
- Made with recovered and deconstructed shoes
- Immersive space filled with bird silhouettes
- The bright sky and clear shadows expanded the work beyond the suspended shoes
- Symbolizes the resilience and vulnerability of migrants
I really enjoyed this work. Walking under all the shoes felt like I was under a sky filled with birds. The way they swayed and moved in the breeze brought life to them, and it almost seemed as though they were flying. Having the display outdoors was a great choice as a lot of the immersiveness would have been lost inside. The unknowns of weather and environment surrounding the work contribute to the idea of vulnerability and resilience. It was also just a gorgeous work to look at and explore.
Flatbread Library – Sameer Farooq
- Library of flatbreads from various bakeries
- Symbolizes Toronto’s diverse cultural landscape
- Explores the relationship between the tandoor and community identity
- The varieties of bread represent the diverse migration histories and experiences
First of all, This artwork made me so hungry. It is an amazing unity of diversity – combining so many different kinds of bread into one sculpture. Not only does it highlight the artistry of making bread, but it also explores how food can embody cultural narratives.
Ear Worm – Alex Da Corte
- Reinterprets familiar symbols and elements from pop culture
- Challenges the narratives surrounding iconic characters like Mister Rogers and Sleeping Beauty
- Encourages viewers to reassess their cultural significance
- Draws on themes of sexuality, violence, and childhood
Stepping off the elevator and into the dreamlike environment created by the artist was… indescribable. It was almost creepy with the warm lighting, dark walls, and slow music in the background. The large scale projections on giant cubes were very much like the nonsensical and strange narratives in dreams. The twists on the iconic scenes and stories led to a deep reflection of the stories that shaped our understanding of culture and self. It was a truly immersive and intimate exhibit that felt entirely surreal. I could have spent hours just sitting on the wonky bench watching all the projections on repeat – but not alone that would have been terrifying.
Environmental Video
Video Work in Progress / Ideas
Final Video
Speed Bump Video
This video was a social experiment, or performance piece meant to draw attention to nature and our surroundings. In everyday life, nature is so largely overlooked, that many people walk through the Arboretum without giving it much thought. The concept of this piece was to grab the attention of passerbyers, and kind of wake them up to their surroundings. A speed Bump itself is a symbol of slowing down and becoming more aware of your surroundings. Placing a speed bump (or a person dressed up as a speed bump) In the middle of major pathways of the Arboretum forces people to stop and think about where they are and what they are doing.
Artist Book
Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast…
If you’ve ever been sick, you have probably been told to follow the brat rule, where you are supposed to eat only bananas, rice, applesauce, or toast. That’s because these foods are easy to digest and keep down, and are high in fiber.
As someone with Crohn’s disease, I have lots of experience with the brat diet, and I wanted to share that in my artist book. Now the thing about my experience is that I get sick for long periods of time. I’ve been ill for the last 3 months, and because of that there’s not much I can eat that doesn’t put me in pain. bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast however are some things I can eat, but they’re so bland an repetitive, and I really miss all my favorite meals.
I wanted to create a book that conveys my personal experience with Crohn’s disease and the brat diet. Using my 19 favourite dinners I created a recipe book… but the twist is that every ingredient is replaced with what I CAN eat, bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These recipes are horrifying and unappealing, but it show just how repetitive and almost gross it is to be stuck eating the same four things for 3 months straight.
*I will note that brat is not all you can eat, it’s just your best option, in fact, if you only eat these things you will get very sick from a lack of nutrients, which is why it’s more of a short-term thing. In my case, I just try to eat very simple foods like mashed potatoes or turkey, more focussing on avoiding the foods that are really bad rather than what is good.
Maira Kalman podcast from On Being with Krista Tippet.
One of the things Kalman says in the On Being pidcast with Krista Tippet that strikes me is when she says, “paying attention to the small details of life—like the way sunlight hits a coffee cup—is a way of appreciating the world.” This idea resonates with me because I find that focusing on the seemingly mundane opens a door to beauty and connection. As someone who enjoys creating art inspired by nature and daily life, this reminds me to slow down and appreciate the process, rather than rushing to complete a piece. Kalman’s perspective validates the act of noticing, which feels like a quiet form of rebellion against the chaos of modern life.Another quote that caught my attention was when she mentions how “walking is an essential part of her creative process—giving her the space to think, observe, and connect with her environment.” This struck me because walking has always felt like a creative reset for me. Whether it’s noticing the shapes of shadows or the colors of the evening sky, walking grounds me in the present. It’s also a reminder that creativity doesn’t only happen at the desk or in the studio—it can emerge from the rhythm of daily movement. Her process inspires me to incorporate more of this wandering approach into my creative practice, blending observation and spontaneity.
The Principles of Uncertainty (2007)
This image first caught my eye because of the Dodo Bird. I really like the message that is written on it. It starts by describing the inability to share all the thoughts in one’s head, and then tells a little story of the Dodo bird and how it went extinct. Thematically, the image explores ideas of impermanence or curiosity. Her work frequently conveys a sense of wonder and nostalgia, encouraging viewers to reflect on the beauty and fragility of life, this is done so with imagery of an extinct animal which really dies show just how fragile life can be.
Artist Multiple
StarGlasses
Understanding blindness can be very hard to do… and quite frankly, that sucks. It sucks for the people who are blind, and it sucks for the people around them.
In my experience, no matter how hard I try to explain what seeing is like for me, nobody can seem to understand. So much so that I wasnt diagnosed with a visual impairment until I was 18 years old. Even with a diagnosis, its still hard to explain – and I fully get that because I cant even wrap my head around it.
I tthought it’d be neat to create some artist multiples that could act as a window into my world. Not only do the glasses have blind and blurry spots, similar to my vision, but they also come with an Informational pamphlet about my condition. Im calling these glasses StarGlasses, which stems from the name of my condition, Stargardt’s Disease, but it also sounds cool.
The End