Room Temp, 2023

Butter, steel, plexiglass, T5 grow lights

Room Temp is a durational sculpture that is activated by temperature and manifests in the softening of frozen butter. This work was created as a culmination of my graduate thesis research, in which I dissected the function of mythology within Imperialism and the culture of imperialist societies. Drawing inspiration from Icarian lessons, the sculpture reimagines fabled imagery in critique of the modern myth known as the “American Dream.” At once a funerary statue, national monument, and state-fair novelty, Room Temp illustrates the natural reactionary effects of a perishable substance under conditions that, while typical, are unsuitable.

Above: Room Temp (pre-softening), 2023. Butter, steel, plexiglass, T5 grow lights