The Bubble Pack Benches began with the idea of transforming an everyday material into something durable and permanent. Bubble packaging has an iconic status in contemporary culture, as a marvel of manufacturing technology that is nevertheless a single-use, throwaway material. Notions of preservation and disposability are imbedded within bubble packaging’s materiality, so casting this material in bronze enhanced these seemingly contradictory properties.

At the inception of this project, I decided that the cast bronze bubble packaging would be used to creating functional, utilitarian items. Benches seemed to be an ideal format because they would encourage tactile engagement, allowing people to touch the finished works. These sculptures are permanently installed outside the grounds of the Creative Arts Center to function as seating for the students, faculty, staff, and patrons who use the facility.