Nests or Baskets

Planttdaddii, Digital sculpture, June 2023

Nests or Baskets, In this piece “Nest” is referring to a human in a state in which they are prioritizing growth. Nest in this piece means a happy home, learning, reflection, family, and curiosity. “Baskets” is being used like the common saying “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket!”

In the title Baskets is a monetarily fueled human with a rigid schedule suffering from ego mania, networking cycles, and more often than not alcoholism or drug addiction.

The rockery and sludge in the piece represent  the boxes people put themselves in when depriving themselves of curiosity and time to grow without monetary intention. 

I think I wanted to explore this theme because I don't have much family and I find myself missing the family I do have, and the friends I’ve lost, relationships I could have been more present in. Knowing I could have spent more time with them if I was less focused on my work. 

In short, I dont give a damn about baskets, eggs, assets, connections, brands.  At the end of my life I want to look back on a happy nest, I want to make my art in a healthy way, and to connect with people that want that too. 

A bit more context about why I feel so strongly about this: 

I am feeling a lot of deja vu lately.  I grew up with one side of my  family composed of big tech, lawyers, religion, harvard grads  venture capitalists and alcoholics.  The other side are more salt of the earth type, nurses, warehouse workers and gardeners. You can imagine how confusing this was as a child, and which gatherings were more fun. 

As a child observing all of them I noticed that the people that had more money were all vile and miserable people. But oh boy– they could put on a nice front. I noticed they used money as a filler for a lot of things and when this happens I believe a resentment piles up inside,  for the time they've lost, and the ability to make real connections is lost.