“If These Walls Could Talk”

"If These Walls Could Talk' was a Pop Up Project commission and event. I enjoyed working on repurposing and creating these artworks. Witnessing fellow creatives breathe performance motion into the artworks was inspiring. The sculptures 'The Process of Entrapment' and 'Entrapment of a Process,' crafted from Aluminum and Steel, were prominently featured. As part of the same event, 'Hardy Soft' lanterns were commissioned and beautifully illuminated the venue. Using old cotton barrels and cotton springs, I crafted these lanterns, which added a creative illumination to Chattanooga's Coosa Mill.

The creative process made me ponder upon a documentary about Manchester, England, the birthplace of the industrial revolution. While the documentary glorified the city and its advancements, I was reminded of the show 'White Lotus,' as my perspective differed. Manchester's prosperity was significantly fueled by American slave labor cotton, which starkly contrasts with the hardships faced by its own mill workers.

Interestingly, these workers eventually protested against using cotton produced by slave owners. This historical context raises the question: Did this influence the migration of mills to the southern United States? This situation prompts a reflection on whether we are observing an entrapment of a process or the process of entrapment itself."