Strongbox Model
2023
This model is an exploration of language, how writing systems function aesthetically, and how they are a critical tool for cultural connection and familial ties.
Inspired by my own loss of the Shawnee tongue, which was taken from my matrilineal line by the residential schools forced upon Native Americans, this box is an ode to language and the barriers it creates. The abstracted letters are the initials of my loved ones, distorted and torn---it is not Shawnee, because I did not grow up with that language.
Inside of the box is the rook, representative of fortification and directness. This rook is entirely surrounded by these letters and cannot be removed.