American Illusion,
Metal, acrylic sheets, acetate, mylar, wood, LED lights, photographs, paper, ink, newspaper clippings,
8’ x 10’ x 4’,
2018
Contains eight panels that can be moved left and right by viewers to overlap or pull apart each separate hanging banner.

We live in a dream.
In a dream the visible and invisible oscillate, time and space collapse.
It is a disorienting illusion that transforms our perception.
How else could stars fall from the sky and live amongst us?
This illusion permeates our flesh, becomes our pulse, and filters our vision.
‘Freedom is not Free’ echoes so loud that you would risk your life to keep dreaming.
A dream is only for a moment.

American Illusion explores the star as a symbol. Posing the question, what does it mean to strive for a symbol? The star is sprinkled through out the government, in Hollywood, religion, corporations use it, and in the military. It crosses borders and collapses categories through its visual repetition. The stars ability to collapse categories parallels the actual collapse of those categories throughout society. Democracy and Capitalism are intertwined and create constant tension between our individual goals and what we ideally envision for our country. ★