Carriers
2024
Carriers is a sculpture and video installation that honors both historical and contemporary women who sustain the world through agriculture. Drawing on my family’s history with cash crops and plantation labor, the work offers a deeply personal perspective on food production.
At the heart of Carriers is a large net made from rice, wheat, corn, sugarcane, soy, palm, banana, pineapple, coconut, sorghum, hemp, and flax fibers. I enlisted the expertise of artist Portia Roy, who used a traditional spinning wheel to transform the fibers into nearly 1,000 feet of cordage. I then wove the ropes into a 14' x 29' cargo net, designed to be suspended from the ceiling of the LAVC Gallery. The labor-intensive process of interweaving these plant fibers speaks to both the interconnectedness of global crops and the often overlooked, quiet labor inherent in "women’s work."
An accompanying video documents the meticulous preparation of these plant fibers—peeling sugarcane, washing palm fibers, and shredding wheat stalks—alongside the spinning and weaving process. Personal quotes from women around the world help tie these activities to broader themes, reflecting on women as carriers of plant knowledge, seeds, crops, and families.
Incorporating elements of knitting and weaving, Carriers pushes the boundaries of traditional craft to create a conceptual object that merges personal stories with research. The net and video not only highlight women as providers and makers but also expose the harsh realities within our food system. Despite comprising nearly 85% of the rural workforce, women in agriculture face underpayment, overwork, and disproportionate impacts from the climate crisis. This installation serves as a tribute to these women, as well as a stark reminder of the persistent discrimination, lack of land rights, and exploitation they endure while feeding the world.
