‘Chewy Thoughts’

Gum and happiness, in my opinion, are parallel experiences. The gum flavor is strong at first, and as soon as you start to chew it, you start to feel good. The flavor is very strong at first and makes you happy when you bite into it, but the more you chew, the more the flavor fades.

When I first came to Seattle, a visit to the Gum Wall stimulated me with many sensations of scents, and sights. Each individual piece of gum is a marker of a life passing by. I normally pass by without recognizing how many people have come and gone. I enjoy the fact that many people visit the place and leave their traces on the wall, where I can visualize the invisible and experience the time people spent there.
As an artist, the act of making objects helps to crystallize an idea into a lasting perspective. I want to leave behind the happiness of not rotting, thankful that I am in Seattle and that I can make this gum wall.

I am exploring how my experiences are connected to everyday objects. In modern society, we are surrounded by a variety of objects, and we unconsciously consume commodities of our own choice on a daily basis.
I believe that we make decisions about our clothing, food, and everyday requirements based on a feeling of intimacy and sympathy with the products. Unexpectedly, the mundane objects around me can trigger vivid nostalgia that causes memories to flow through my mind in obscure fragments.
These fragments replay in my head, repeatedly, in specific situations, becoming malleable and animated. While imagining a particular scene and transforming the object, I confront my own experience and engage in a personal, ever-growing relationship with the object. The objects I chose to represent are selected because they are close at hand, because they are mine. Because their cheapness and proximity make them the most appropriate instruments for my work.