"Crowd Control" Art Installation

In January 2026, I'll be exhibiting a brand new capiz shell installation at the Cultural Arts Center in Suffolk, VA as part of a new solo show with several other new pieces. I'm increasingly interested in creating artworks that have some kind of community involvement while still addressing the themes central to my work. "Crowd Control" invites participants and viewers to have a conversation about the choices we make in sharing or withholding information about ourselves, which are undoubtedly a key part of our identities. Particularly in this digital age, we're bombarded with requests for personal information several times a day, whether it's an app offering biometric security or a website asking us to trade our email address for a 10% off coupon. When is our personal information too valuable for us to share, and when do we decide that we just don't really care?

Throughout the rest of 2025, I will be collecting a single fingerprint from everyone interested in being a part of this large scale installation. My goal is to collect at least 700 unique fingerprints - ideally 1,000 - pressed with archival black ink onto the inside surface of a 2-inch square cut capiz shell. Each shell and fingerprint will then be coated with 24kt gold leaf, and a number of shells will be suspended on a single monofilament strand. Several strands will be hung from the gallery's ceiling to give the illusion of a Matrix-like grid of anonymous information, a microcosm of the massive databases that exist today. Participants and the identity of each fingerprint is completely anonymous - I'm not collecting any personal information. I often use genuine gold leaf in my work to question what we value in our lives.

I held my first fingerprint collecting event this past weekend in Suffolk, and it was really interesting to have conversations with different passersby, observing people's reactions, whether it was enthusiasm or wariness, or both. After two hours, I collected about 30 fingerprints, so I've got a ways to go, but I'm optimistic. All the networking I've done for the past five years might just pay off! I'm really excited about the way each translucent shell will sway and turn a little with viewers walking around and causing a little breeze, giving different flashes of gold throughout the day. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like to participate! Stay tuned for updates...