Lay me in the sawdust Part 2

"Lay me in the sawdust" is a material research project with the intention of turning woodworking waste into a useable creative material. The project is made up of multiple pieces of sawdust bio-composite that have been cast on my body, and wood pieces that have been CNC milled into the shapes of my body. It is a dialogue between the artist and the material: building a personal connection with the material and using the subject matter of the pieces to represent this relationship. I come from a long line of woodworkers in my family and have developed a deep attachment and curiosity with the wood over the past couple years. 

Within sculpture, methods of casting and mold-making often require using materials that are single use and not compostable or recyclable. By casting the material directly onto my body, I avoid the creation of garbage within the creative process. The sawdust bio-composites are made up of natural materials that can decompose. The wood shavings are from the Concordia CTC wood shop, from my own carving practice and from my mom’s wood shop. I use a material that is typically left as a waste product from the woodworking and carving process, and instead divert the waste into a useful wooden material that has new material properties than a block of wood.