Thaw is a piece about transformation. It‘s about the melt that occurs in the spring and the optimism that comes with it. Every year, as the snow clears away, we know that warmer days are on their way and with them, new life, colour and the possibility of a fresh start.

Like a real spring Thaw, the creation of this installation was a transformative experience for me. As an artist that works with laser cutting, I tend to work in a very tight and controlled way. Developing digital files, planning cuts far in advance and always prototyping to perfect the final execution. Having recently completed graduate school, I was working in a particularly rigorous way in order to complete my thesis work.

Given the opportunity to work in the BPL Ideaworks Studio for the past 3 months, I embraced that spring optimism and I let go of my methodical process.
 

I knew I wanted to create a large installation, but instead of planning every detail in advance, I worked with the materials I had on hand, scraps, and colours I was able to easily get. I let these materials and my time in the studio dictate the direction of the final piece. I also invited the public to participate in the making of sun catchers that would be included in the installation.

Letting go of full creative control was liberating but also scary. There were many points along the way in which I questioned if this would work at all. I had to trust that it would come together and that this approach would take me in a direction I would be happy with. I had a sense of what I wanted the installation, but the final result was a surprise even to me!

A great deal of Thaw came together during the three days I spent on the arial platform installing this piece. As I attached each of the thousands (I didn’t even count them!) of water drops I let my instincts guide me. At that point I only had a fixed number of pieces to work with- there was no turning back.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to create Thaw. It was a delight to work with everyone at the Burlington Public Library and it was thrilling to step outside my comfort zone. Thank you to everyone that participated in a workshop, helped me prepare pieces for installation and stopped by to say hello.

​

June 2018