Been There pays homage to overlooked architectural forms—what surrounds us yet often goes unnoticed. I find myself drawn to the small, ubiquitous, fully-realized, elements of the built world– learning to consider what we have here rather than imagining what could be.
Door frames, exposed pipes, handles, these commonplace architectural elements now reveal themselves as artifacts of labor and intention. Things to be decoded, considered, and appreciated. These seemingly mundane forms, so ubiquitous they become practically invisible, hold a quiet preciousness.
This body of work seeks to defamiliarize these everyday objects in ways that are personal, playful, and fantastical. By rendering these forms in stained glass, shapes of mass-production hold a warmth and tactility, transforming them into something distinctly handcrafted. Shifting how these objects are perceived, not just as functional, overlooked elements of daily life, but as things worthy of attention, even love.
Illuminating these objects from within, my work invites a reconsideration of the familiar, offering a lens through which the banal becomes cherished beyond utility.