Thin Single Crackers, ©2023 kHyal
thin SINGLE CRACKERS . . . easy to SERVE
Much of my work is about juxtaposition. In this case, collecting objects over time, often from different decades, and all saved from the landfill or ocean.
It’s estimated that 80% of all toys end up in a landfill, which is why I use them as art materials for personal narratives set in the age of consumerism I was born into. In the case of Barbie, there are some strange congruencies, including my freakishly long arms and legs, natural thinness and blonde hair. This is not the human norm but it allowed me to easily do performance art about plastic society in the 90s simply by changing my wardrobe and styling my hair as I normally did (by doing nothing). The downside being too much unwanted attention of the wrong kind for having an exterior that matched a one-dimensional and very superficial ideal, the opposite of how I am as a person and obviously not superior to anyone or anything else.
Plastics record our history and don’t ever truly decompose, when they do, they often turn into toxic microplastics that harm all life forms. Thanks to Mattel for creating the PlayBack program to recycle and downcycle their old toys.
You can also donate toys to my studio and I will put them to good use.