Pizza Ouija Board, Materials: CNC Laser-etched and CNC Laser-cut acrylic. 2014
The Ouija Board is a metaphor for the desire to actively communicate, followed by a lack of genuine response. In this instance, the board was being used to communicate with a living person to seek closure after the abrupt and unanticipated end to a friendship. It was created as a last resort after all practical attempts of contact had gone unanswered.
The concept for this piece stems from a social phenomenon, which is now aptly referred to as: ghosting- where one half of the friendship completely disappears without warning or explanation. Once a friend has ghosted, every attempt of communication remains unanswered or ignored.
Pizza Oracle, Materials: CNC Milled aluminum, CNC laser cut acrylic, and felt. 2014
The result is a situation quite similar to communicating with the dead through a game where most outcomes are heavily influenced by a dizzying fear of the unknown and the weight of participants' fingers - not real dead people. After exhausting all attempts of conversation, the board user is desperate for understanding; to the point where they unknowingly manipulate the board of their volition in an attempt to get a response. It is in this way, perhaps, the Ouija Board offers a way to indirectly communicate with ourselves, instead of others, to find answers we already know.