The cave is a powerful symbol of refuge; a place of both power and danger. As one moves deeper into the darkness of the earth’s interior, one can more easily encounter things shadowy and risky, even death itself. The cave is a place of magical incubation and alchemical transformation. In fairy tales, legends, and history, the cave is often inhabited by threatening creatures, but it is also a place where heroines and heroes meet their own allies, or their own self. While the forces within may be dark, they hold great power and represent the unconscious forces we may have repressed or hidden. Although we are entering potentially dangerous and unfamiliar territory, we still choose to enter caves to get to the core of our nature and our power.

Cultures, past and present, have recognized the aesthetic, practical, and technological uses inherent in mica. I am intrigued by it’s versatility and the dichotomy between the transparent and protective nature of the mica, the way it acts like a lens and a shield. In our dangerous era and the time of reckoning for many species, the idea that a mineral can act as a protective agent for a delicate creature is invaluable.
The butterflies in Pellucid come from butterfly farms. These farms have not only increased butterfly populations, but have also provided an alternate industry to the devastation of the primary rainforests. Besides having a short lifespan, butterflies require the same type of tropical climate, don’t take up much real estate, and can provide a steady livelihood.
Psyche, the Greek word for butterfly, is the same word for soul. A butterfly wing is made of tiny solar panels; colorful scales of iridescent dust tipping automatically in the sunlight. The wings in Pellucid are held still in a protective layer of mica, a transparent veil of rock, strong and fragile, revealing and concealing simultaneously. To create a tension between the exterior and the interior surfaces, I formed the cave, from rock salt, into a large monolithic chunk of white rock. The rock salt is also suggestive of the essential relationship between the earth and the fluid coursing through our veins. By depositing this into the pristine environment of a museum, the exterior becomes juxtaposed with the intricate detail embedded on the colorful interior.

By enclosing butterfly wings inside mica, I have created a magnified version of the minute scales. My work reveals what the human eye sees in fleeting transitory moments…A sustained complete vision; a powerful vibration of color.