Amorphozoa #7, Wool and porcupine quills, 10.25 x 7.25 x 4.5 inches, 2009

This wall-hanging piece tempts the viewer in even as it warns you away with its porcupine-quill-studded void. Do not touch. Really.

This one-of-a-kind sculpture is from the ‘Amorphozoa’ body of work. Amorphozoa sculptures aim to distill the essence of a creature— to functionally and aesthetically simplify living organisms to mere suggestions of parts. This body of work is the next logical step following my ‘Overbred’ beasts; these life forms have been further manipulated to maintain a presence as soft and furry living things while functioning as minimalist sculpture for the home or office. These pseudo-creatures are made to fulfill the human desire to surround oneself with nature on human terms: carefully manufactured to be both tactilely appealing and low maintenance. Mimicking the dichotomy of the concept of nature conceived in a lab, they are cold yet warm, cuddly yet menacing.

The word Amorphozoa refers to animals without a mouth or regular internal organs.

I created this sculpture by compressing, tangling, and shaping loose fibers into felt using hand-held felting needles. This piece is robust, yet it would be best displayed under a glass dome or in a case to prevent dust.