Bubble Dress

20" x 30".

Hand dyed silk, bubble wrap, found objects.

Bubble Dress encapsulates fragments of shells, bones, feathers and bark in plastic bubbles. Each object has been chosen for its intrinsic beauty and is displayed as if under glass in a Natural History Museum, or within a bell jar on the shelf of a Cabinet of Curiosity. In earlier centuries First Nations in North America used shells similar to some in the garment as currency. The wood fragments in this piece are not only visually interesting, but also symbolize the fragility of our forests - threatened, as they are, by non-sustainable logging practices. The forest and coastal relics incorporated in this piece allude to the on-going fight to protect and conserve the creatures of these regions, and even the regions themselves. With ironic intent, I have employed bubble wrap as a protective overlay: the wrap is among the new materials that smother, trap, and destroy the creatures and their habitat.