While Supplies Last (2025)
An office is set up outside, and several file boxes are filled with eggshells. Over the course of the festival, I feed crushed eggshells, birth control date stickers, bits of paper and appropriated office supplies through a laminator. Each action results in a different 9cmx14cm ‘art object.’ As the evening continues, I feed bits of my clothing through the eggshell creations (last photo). Using a laminator harkens to passports, bureaucracy, and type of documents that need ‘seals of approval’ to be considered valid. Eggshells are a material that typically goes to waste, and points to themes of femininity, shelter, and fertilizing. When several are crushed together, they look similar to paper. Feeding my clothing to the laminator acts as an homage to Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece and alludes to idioms around finance, such as "lose your shirt,” etc. Photos by Matt Cann and Stacey Sproule.
This work was first presented at THIRD SHIFT presented by Third Space Gallery. The 2025 Festival theme was 'Revolve' -
I found many touchpoints with my practice and the realities of being a working/living artist. Like many, I need to work a job to support my art practice. While my industry is art-adjacent (artist-run not-for-profit) the current instability of funding, from previously 'reliable' cycles, creates additional stress and questions sustainability. The performance is circular; a string of actions with a start middle and end, each time resulting in a different lamination. At the time, Canada was once again re-focusing on supply chains. The current tensions around trade and product origin may have people thinking they took certain things for granted (e.g open borders). Others are scrutinizing consumer products, especially if their origin is unclear, and certainly, while supplies last is serious for many manufacturers. My own definition of 'revolve' includes the stoppage of one thing the start of another, and the perpetual motion our bodies carry on despite the constraints of capitalism. Additionally, birth control pill packs allude to other revolutions.
I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts who supported this work through a travel grant.
This work was first presented at THIRD SHIFT presented by Third Space Gallery. The 2025 Festival theme was 'Revolve' -
I found many touchpoints with my practice and the realities of being a working/living artist. Like many, I need to work a job to support my art practice. While my industry is art-adjacent (artist-run not-for-profit) the current instability of funding, from previously 'reliable' cycles, creates additional stress and questions sustainability. The performance is circular; a string of actions with a start middle and end, each time resulting in a different lamination. At the time, Canada was once again re-focusing on supply chains. The current tensions around trade and product origin may have people thinking they took certain things for granted (e.g open borders). Others are scrutinizing consumer products, especially if their origin is unclear, and certainly, while supplies last is serious for many manufacturers. My own definition of 'revolve' includes the stoppage of one thing the start of another, and the perpetual motion our bodies carry on despite the constraints of capitalism. Additionally, birth control pill packs allude to other revolutions.
I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts who supported this work through a travel grant.
