Using mixed reality as a framework, Fraught Imaginaries (2022—present) is an ongoing multi-disciplinary body of work centering on liberatory practices of play, which seek to disarm the architectures and systems of control within the prison industrial complex. This world-building project takes shape through my first hand investigation of the prison industrial supply chain and through personal relationships I have built with incarcerated individuals inside New York State Juvenile facilities—namely the Columbia and Brookwood Secure centers—and with adults at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility.

The Blocks

modular cinder block structure
individual blocks approximately
8” x 8” x 16”

Blocks are made of materials sourced from prison industrial supply chain.
2024

Tesseract

colored pencil on glassine, aluminum tamperproof bulletin display case
24” (L) x 2” (W) x 36” (H)
2024

Assembly

Assembly

Bob Barker plastic prison food trays coated in materials and images from the prison industrial supply chain.

Listed in order from the top down:

Tray 1: American Flag print on cotton, resin, bird poop
Tray 2: legal pad paper, Elmer’s glue, melted crayons
Tray 3: stickers, Elmer’s glue
Tray 4: toilet paper, Kool-Aide, Jolly Ranchers, Elmer’s glue
Tray 5: Hot Cheetos, Elmer’s glue Tray 6: religious fabric, resin
2024

Blind spot

etched blindspot mirror, marker
18” diamater
2024

Summer Sandpails

colored pencil, papier-mâché, kozo-shi paper over wood panel
14” (L) x 2” (W) x 11”(H)
2024

👁️ Spy

defunct security camera, resin, goggly eye, plushie fabric, Elmers glue
3.2” (L) x 3.2” (W) x 3.5”(H)
2024

Soapy

industrial soap dispenser, stickers, hd tv monitor, media player, electrical components
1 minute looping video
5.75” (L) x 5.25” (W) x 11.25”(H)
2023

Contraband Bag_2

clear bag, resin, contraband objects at the Columbia Secure Center for Girls
12”(L) x 9”(W) x 3”(H)
2021

Cinderblock_3

#2 pencils, Elmers school glue
16” (L) x 8” (W) x 8” (H)
2023

Real Metal Cuffs

paper mâché, kozo-shi paper, colored pencil
11”(L) x 5.25” (W) x 11”(H)
2023

First Keys

paper mâché, kozo-shi paper, colored pencil, shrink wrap
7”(L) x 1.5” (W) x 5”(H)
2024

Bubble Puddle

paper mâché, kozo-shi paper, colored pencil
8.7” (W) x 24.8” (H)
2023

Oh Yeah!?

paper mâché, kozo-shi paper, colored pencil
24oz bottle
2023

JL Marcus Commisary Catalog

paper mâché, kozo-shi paper, colored pencil
14.5”(L) x 17.5”(H)
2023

Cinderblock_2

cement, books, paper mâché, colored pencil
16” (L) x 8” (W) x 8” (H)
2023
(The books are recommended reading from the Columbia Collective.)

Contraband Bag_4

clear bag, resin, contraband objects at the Columbia Secure Center for Girls
13”(L) 14” (W) x 14” (H)
2023

Cinderblock_3

#2 pencils, Elmers school glue
16” (L) x 8” (W) x 8” (H)
2023

Contraband Bag_6

clear bag, resin, contraband objects at the Columbia Secure Center for Girls
7.5”(L) x 4”(W) x 8.5”(H)
2023

Contraband Bag_5

clear bag, resin, contraband objects at the Columbia Secure Center for Girls
18”(L) x 14”(W) x 6.75”(H)
2023

A View

graphite on paper
12” x 18”
2022

︎ Columbia Collective Night Moth Info ︎ Vimeo