2025
dye sublimation prints and performance video projection on used towels, powder coated steel hardware, water, shaving cream, body hair, disintegrated seamless backdrop
53 minutes and 27 seconds
towels 62" x 30" each
a meditation on rituals, repetition, persona, transition, bodily fortitude + futility.
i think swimming had always been a way for me to spiritually ground myself. staring at a black line at the bottom of the pool for 20+ hours a week. benchmarks to hit and goals to achieve. building the endurance to withstand uncomfortability and push the body to its absolute limits of strength and speed. the rinse and repeat cycle of preparation, racing, and reevaluation.
now two and a half years removed from elite competition, i'm wondering - what were my rituals for? how have they influenced the way i approach my creative practice? with the end goals of athletic competition removed, what am i preparing my body, mind, and spirit for?
so i performed my pre-race ritual. shaved my entire body. donned my racing regalia. and prepared my body as i would behind the blocks. until i physically couldn't continue. breathing labored and body bruised when the ritual was complete. and now i evaluate and prepare my body, mind, and spirit for the next iteration.