This bowl is attached to the belt by means of a clip, shown here. The bowl is adorned with a knot pattern meant to symbolize the energy cycle from the sun to the plants that feed us. It is a wish for sustenance for whoever carries it.
This clip features a knot inspired by a compass rose, the perfect symbol for a traveler that they may never lose their way
This ongoing body of work investigates the concept of the journey and the traveler in both a physical and a metaphorical sense. I create objects that connect to a belt as a point of departure for reflection upon the idea of the journey while joining functionality, beauty, and introspection. The traveler’s belt provides an ergonomic and underappreciated means for a person on a journey to carry essential items with them along the way. The objects include items that would be beneficial for a traveler to have at hand, including a bowl, a protective case for small, precious items, and a notebook for recording observations and reflections. These are created and adorned through forming, fabrication, etching, and incorporating found items through the fabrication of carrying devices. Each of these objects in turn bears original symbolism that draws its inspiration from Celtic knot designs. These symbols as a whole illustrate the unending nature of a journey – or a life – and how a single path is made more interesting by the inevitable complications, reversals, and intersections with other paths. This work resonates with me as someone who comes from a family of people who travel for both business and pleasure. Furthermore, I find value in my life and the lives of all those around me when I see them as unending journeys of constant renewal. I wish to nurture this viewpoint in others while helping every traveler to reflect on their own path as it travels from their past, through their present situation, and on into their future. I return to this body of work when I need to reflect on my own life’s journey and provide myself some perspective.
In Progress 2015. I created this knot reflecting on the idea of protection, specifically of something valuable. For many of us, the medications we need to make sure we have with us every night can be some of the most valuable things we bring when traveling. The center circle with encompass the clasp, symbolically keeping the closure safe.
In Progress 2015. A holder for a notebook for recording observations and reflections. Attached pencil and sharpener. The knotwork in this piece consists of a single line of wire meandering around the form. In this I was reflecting on the way in which wandering can eventually create a complex form out of a single path. I wanted to break the knot out of the realm of a 2D suggestion and into the realm of a 3D reality.