Athena 2000
All the Places I’ve Never Been and Some I Have
I Am Not
Sloughing Off
The Long Sound of Rain
Pink Fizz: I Can See You But You Can’t See Me
Not Last Night but the Night Before
Athena 2000
96 x 36 x 36 in.
fabric, pattern paper, hand needles thread
Athena 2000 is a fabric one-person room, where sight and touch are the first means of entry. The viewer must part the fabric and pattern paper to enter the space. As a viewer enters, immediately they are confronted with the sound of the materials. Once inside, instead of the crinkle of paper, sound becomes muffled by the insulation of the paper and fabric walls, which are translucent and ephemeral – almost cocoon-like. They can read portions of pattern instructions and trace the lines of the quilting.
Included in the Intertwined: Contemporary Southeastern Fiber Arts exhibition at the Hudgens Center for the Arts, Atlanta, GA, 2015; Mending: New Uses for Old Traditions exhibition at the CAB Gallery, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2014, and Saoring at Drew Charter School, Atlanta, GA, 2014.
All the Places I’ve Never Been and Some I Have
inside looking up 
inside looking down
96 x 36 x 36 in.
red satin ribbon, souvenir spoons
All the Places I’ve Never Been and Some I Have is part sculpture, part installation where the viewer must inhabit the one-person room to receive the full experience. The unexpected chime of the spoons coupled with the shimmering red satin offer a singular place of solitude. Those who have entered share that, once inside, they have a transcendent experience that ranges from quiet mediation and relaxation to a squeezing claustrophobia and exultant rebirth. The chosen materials recall the artist’s memories of receiving tokens from her father on his return from places she imagined visiting – memories that have fueled her quest in understanding how place and identity are tied together.
Included in the Peace, What does it Mean to You exhibition, Breman Museum, Atlanta, GA, 2014 and Into the Nature at the Hudgens Center for the Arts, Atlanta, GA, 2018.
I Am Not
96 x 36 x 36 in.
red satin ribbon, souvenir spoons
I Am Not is an installation made of semi-translucent handmade abaca paper tiles with locks of hair embedded in and jutting out of the bottoms, capped by a larger-than-life dome of long brown hair. Inside the room players are confronted with a choice to either turn on a dim light bulb or to push a button on a tiny flashlight. Only one choice reveals a collection of words used to refer to women – some benign and humorous, others crude and degrading. Players are made aware of the complications of stereotype and of how hair has been elevated to the crown jewel of woman. Though my intent is to bring awareness of stereotypes as they relate to identity within a place, players bring their own ideas and rituals about hair into the room along with their own genders, ages, cultures, races and religions, creating an infinite number of experiences and meanings.
Included in the You Are Here exhibition, Further Polycontemporary, Atlanta, GA, 2014.
Sloughing Off
96 x 36 x 36 in.
36,000 yards unwaxed dental floss, cheesecloth, acrylic medium, straight pins, audio
Sloughing Off is a part of the one-person room series where all is not what it appears. It is as much about the body as it is about the space it defines. In a world where sight is the most revered human sense and image is king, this work challenges sight-centric perception of space and identity. It incorporates elements that affect the other senses with the intention of surprising the viewer into understanding space and identity in a new way. The materials are sticky, translucent and skin-like in a state of unraveling, suggesting the infinite passage of time. Motion-sensitive overlapping sounds created by the body respond to the movements of the viewer upon entry, rhythmically enveloping the them and creating a space in which to meditate on their personal discoveries.
Included in the You Are Here exhibition, Further Polycontemporary, Atlanta, GA, 2014.
The Long Sound of Rain
96 x 36 x 36 in.
plastic disposable cups, ping pong balls
The Long Sound of Rain embodies the notion of disorientation. Static objects come together en masse to create a twisting force around and through the room. Playful and inviting, deconstructed material echos the sounds of nature when participants pass through its walls. Inside they discover that they are in the eye of the storm where the light changes and everything becomes calm.
Included in the You Are Here exhibition, Further Polycontemporary, Atlanta, GA, 2014.
Pink Fizz: I Can See You But You Can’t See Me
96 x 36 x 36 in.
Easter grass, rug canvas, ribbon, duct tape
Part of the one-person room series, Pink Fizz can only be experienced by looking inside one of the portholes. The orientation of each window prohibits the act of taking sefies, which encourages collaboration and building of a physical community (however short-lived) to participate in a virtual one.
Included in the You Are Here exhibition, Further Polycontemporary, Atlanta, GA, 2014.
Not Last Night but the Night Before
96 x 36 x 36 in.
rope, jump rope, paper, wire, chalk bicycle rim
Not Last Night but the Night Before recalls a time when children entertained themselves with simple games like jump rope, riding bikes, hop-scotch and cootie catchers. Designed around the dimensions of a child, this piece is intended to be a little bit fun and a little bit funky. The jump rope handles clink together when you enter, reminiscent of wooden hand instruments given to children in their first day of music.
Held in private collection.
macey ley 