world is not your oyster

2019

How do human ideas transfer onto materials? The project "world is not your oyster" looks at metaphorical / metonymic / aphoristic power expressed in material objects, often highlighting ironic or harsh realities. The installation includes digital collages, graphics, didactics, presentation trifold boards, and books and documentation viewers can read freely. 

The snail and oyster, both members of the mollusc family, have bodies valuable for human commerce. We exploit oysters by depositing many irritants inside their bodies to produce "pearls," which have only a few layers of nacre. In nature, an oyster produces one pearl in its lifetime, if any at all, and the gem is nacre throughout. Meanwhile, humans ignore the ecololgical impact of these bivalves -- a single adult oyster can filter 115-190 liters of water daily, purifying the aquatic ecosystem. 

The snail Murex, responsible for the most expensive and illustrious color, Tyrian purple, is harvested and boiled by the thousands to produce a 3-gram vial of dye. This color was reserved for Emperors as a symbol of power.

Both graphite and diamonds are made of carbon. While diamonds are "forever," pencils wield a greater power through their ability to write and shape the thoughts of billions over the course of human history.