The key ideas and impulses behind this work involve diving into concepts of the mind and disorders of the mind such as claustrophobia and anxiety. In each image, there is a vegetable element; this is symbolic of potential growth. There also exists a portal or escape along with an element of light in each photo; this is symbolic of having a way out of things in life, but not always being able to grasp at that escape or having that escape feel distant, almost in another world. Themes of griminess, tight spaces, confinement, hallucinations, escape, stress, defeat, and isolation were explored in the series. I shot each image in a different kitchen appliance that gives off heat to represent the idea of tight and hot spaces (spaces in which you wouldn’t want to stay long in). 

I used human subjects including myself, vegetables, plants around my house and outside, dirty kitchen appliances, various fruits, mini statues, décor such as a message in a bottle and ship in a bottle, light sources, chairs, feet, tools, and other household objects such as elastic bands. I was interested in exploring the life within our everyday appliances, and in using those tight and confined spaces of the oven, toaster oven, and microwave, to create new settings. These settings offered the ability to explore themes such as the clutter of the mind and disorders such as anxiety and claustrophobia (both of which affect a few of my family members). The portals I create in each offer a way out of the mess and isolation, but the characters in each are all finding it difficult to find the energy to actually escape the space.