hunger stone, 2024
37in. x 24in. x 67in.
pine stolen from NYC DOT infrastructure project site, copper sheet from Michael Joo’s studio move, brass fasteners, from VDOT modeling workshop liquidation, copper tube salvaged from discarded air-conditioning units and refrigerators, copper plumbing fittings,tin solder purchased from machine shop liquidation auction, reclaimed electrical wire, 19th cen. subway tiles, tile fragments, and ceramic plate shards from underwater landfill, tile fragments from illegal construction dump site, cement stoop step found in dumpster outside Bed-Stuy Home Depot, thinset mortar and grout found in basement, cement left over from landlord’s demolition project, cement cast of reclaimed styrofoam packing inserts, padded moving blanket found in residential dumpster, cement fiberboard from 152-year-old residential bathroom demolition, machine screws, marble countertop slab donated by Patrick and split with Alina, quartz countertop fragment found in the middle of street while driving, aluminum stock from machine shop liquidation auction, furniture sliders from furniture found on street, fiberglass pebble panels reclaimed from trashcan/ashtray discarded behind gas station, compact refrigerator salvaged from under BQE, jewelry findings and hardware deadstock purchased from closeout wholesaler, fossil coral fragments from 420-million-year-old sedimentary limestone formation, cement casts of plastic bottles found on the street and sidewalk 2018-2024, magnets collected from refrigerators discarded on the street from 2020-2024, keys, keychains, key rings, and zipper pulls collected from the street and sidewalk from 2013-2024, broken necklace chains collected from street and sidewalk from 2018-2024, pennies found on ground from 2008-2024 ($126.86)
(see expanded material list and description at bottom of page)
Hunger Stone, 2024
37in. x 24in. x 67in.
i. arms and legs rendered in rendered in pine from NYC DOT infrastructure project site (Ridgewood, Queens, NY), carved using anonymized CT scan data from NIH online cancer imaging archive (imaging.cancer.gov)
ii. copper sheet purchased from the studio of Michael Joo when he was downsizing for a move (Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY)
iii. brass wood screws and nails salvaged from VDOT modeling workshop liquidation (Richmond, VA)
iv. ¼ inch copper refrigerant tube salvaged from discarded air-conditioning units and refrigerators (Ridgewood, Queens, NY) (tagged, CFCs recovered)
v. 3/8 inch copper tubing reclaimed from disused plumbing in the ceiling and walls of the studio building (Olneyville, Providence, RI)
vi. copper plumbing fittings purchased used from parts resellers on eBay, ¼ inch fittings from user tinman5711 (Plainfield, IL), 608scorpio159 (Winona, MN), and 3/8 inch fittings from electronics_plus (Hingham, MA)
vii. tin solder from machine shop liquidation auction (Edison, NJ) and reclaimed from pewter pieces found streetside (Ridgewood, Queens, NY)
viii. ¼ inch copper grounding wire salvaged from a dumpster for a residential demolition site (Ridgewood, Queens, NY)
ix. music wire left over in classroom after the end of the semester (College Hill, Providence, RI)
x. 19th cen. subway tiles, lobby tile fragments and ceramic plate shards collected from the shore of underwater landfill at Dead Horse Bay (Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY)
xi. tile fragments salvaged from illegal construction debris dump from building renovation (College Hill, Providence RI)
xii. ‘VersaBond Fortified Thinset mortar’ and ‘Polyblend Plus #165 Delorean Gray Non-Sanded Grout’ purchased from Home Depot in (Woodside, Queens, NY)
xiii. cement stoop step found leaning against dumpster outside Bed-Stuy Home Depot (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY)
xiv. portland cement donated by landlord, unused after building redevelopment project (Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY)
xv. stripped electrical wire, salvaged from a dumpster for a residential building site (Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY)
xvi. padded moving blanket, one of 48, found in small residential dumpster in front of a giant condo building on Troutman (Ridgewood, Queens, NY) (this dumpster is always unchained and open, and is an ideal spot to deposit any waste you can’t otherwise dispose of for free)
xvii. cement fiberboard reclaimed from backing of 152-year-old tile work in residential bathroom (Federal Hill, Providence, RI)
xviii. copper pipe straps reclaimed from ceiling of former studio building (Armory, Providence, RI)
xix. “GRK Fasteners #8 x 1 in. Star Drive Low Profile Washer Head Cabinet Wood Screws”, “¼-20 1.5-inch 18-8 Stainless Steel Carriage Bolts”, “¼-20 18-8 Stainless Steel Nuts”, “Tapcon ¼ in. x 2-¼ in. Star Flat-Head Concrete Anchors”, purchased from Home Depot (Cranston, RI)
xx.fragment of 10-foot marble countertop slab donated by Patrick (unused from live/work renovation) and split with Alina (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY)
xxi. “4-40 .5-inch 18-8 Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screws”, “8-32 1-inch 18-8 Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screws”, “10-24 1.25-inch 18-8 Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screws”, purchased from Grainger (Maspeth, Queens, NY)
xxii. “1/4-20 1.5-inch 18-8 Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screws”, “6-32 1-inch Black Oxide Plain Steel Set Screws”, “#10 0.5-inch Round Nylon Spacers”, purchased from Grainger (Warwick, RI)
xxiii. aluminum stock purchased in bulk at auction from machine shop inventory liquidation (Edison NJ, East Providence, RI, Taunton, MA)
xxiv. fiberglass pebble panels reclaimed from disused trashcan/ashtray discarded behind gas station (Crossville, TN)
xxv. compact refrigerator salvaged from illegal dumping site under the BQE (Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY) (untagged, CFC unrecovered)
xxvi. magnets collected from refrigerators and furniture discarded on the street for DSNY pickup from 2020-2024 (various neighborhoods, Queens and Brooklyn, NY)
xxvii. keys, keychains, key rings, and zipper pulls collected from the street and sidewalk from 2013-2024 (various neighborhoods, Queens and Brooklyn, NY, Providence, RI)
xxviii. broken necklace chains collected from street and sidewalk from 2018-2024 (various neighborhoods, Queens and Brooklyn, NY, Providence, RI)
xxix. custom earplugs and chain made by Serra, and donated (Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY)
xxx. red brass serpentine chain, white brass link chain, yellow brass chain clasps, 30 ga. copper wire, and brass jump rings deadstock pre-cut & jewelry findings from closeout wholesale dealer Wolf E Myrow (Providence, RI)
xxxi. hydraulic cement casts of polystyrene product packaging inserts reclaimed from recycling bins (Ridgewood, Queens NY)
xxxii. portland cement casts of plastic bottles found on the street and sidewalk (Ridgewood, Queens, NY)
xxxiii. fender washers collected from custom window screens from previous live/work space (Armory, Providence, RI)
xxxiv. fossil coral fragments from 420-million-year-old Niagara Escarpment sedimentary limestone formation (Drummond Island, MI)
xxxv. quartz countertop fragment found in the middle of street while driving (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY)
xxxvi. furniture sliders reclaimed from broken Ikea entertainment center found streetside (Ridgewood, Queens NY)
xxxvii. pennies found on ground from 2008-2024 ($126.86)
Note: A hunger stone is a hydrological landmark carved into a stone riverbank to serve as a famine memorial and warning when water levels drop and the carving is exposed. This work starts with cnc carvings of figurative fragments I’ve extracted from a public digital archive of anonymized CT scans, used primarily for cancer imaging research. I use a collection of materials found exclusively from various sites of collapse - business closures, residential demolition, industrial failure, prehistoric extinction events, and others - to reconstruct the digitally fragmented body in physical space, and in this case build them a sarcophagus modeled on 14th century transi tombs. These previously unvalued components fill the role of flesh and stone, used to imagine the person on the other side of this digital record, someone who’s ultimate fate is unknowable outside the brief moment of the scan.