As a fiber artist, my practice is rooted in the concept of scavenging, then salvaging fabric remnants, heirloom fabrics, abandoned, discarded materials and objects, and reassembling them in an ongoing cycle of deconstruction / construction.

I am a native of Uruguay, and as an immigrant adaptation is constant, as is the exercise of comparing economies, privileges, struggles, haves and have nots. This has led me to the study of three big themes that I feel are interconnected with each other, migration, the effects of climate change and the meaning of borders.

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The employment of discarded materials, broken or otherwise neglected objects, plastic, textile, and marine debris, all in their cracked, worn-out form speak to me of the dispossessed, the outsider, the misfit. The language of junk is also a metaphor not only to what we leave behind, deemed unwanted, but also for people who are devalued, the often-invisible immigrant or the undocumented. Salvaging these random objects and materials becomes an allegory for redeeming the socially disenfranchised and a testimony to the cruelty of capricious and repressive socio-economic powers. This reconstructing effort is also a direct response to our society of consumerism and convenience that glorifies the concept of “new”. The selected, random objects, castoffs of our industrialized society, are reassembled to create objects that weave stories, that speak of the user, referencing and reverencing domesticity, our shared humanity, embracing the value of ritual and identity and honoring our capacity to make something beautiful out of the dirt and rubble.

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Emulating nature, in the way a crack will be filled slowly and tediously by moss, pieces appear precarious and vulnerable, yet intricately and laboriously assembled, paying homage to the careful, loving constructions created by people in refugee camps, and impoverished areas around the world. The many threads, yarns and ropes employed to connect its many parts, a symbol to the interconnectedness of natural systems, human and otherwise.

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In deepening my understanding of environmental stewardship, and climate change a goal is to spend part of my time in residence researching the subject of coastal conservation, and marine protection by reaching out to professionals who study these subjects to establish partnerships and create pieces that respond to concrete issues. My goal is to educate and inspire the community through my work.