worksurface
Since 2015, I have collaborated with sculptor Matt Lynch of Simparch to produce laser-cut high-pressure laminate mosaics about labor, industry, culture, and nature. For our mosaic series Work/Surface, we homage the 1933 Cincinnati Union Terminal glass mosaic industry murals created by German artist Winold Reis in the late 1920's. First designed as ink line drawings from factory tours, Formica styles and colors are then selected for the thousands of shapes. Unlike the heroically idealized figures in the Reiss murals, ours affirm the true dignity of people who work in factories, representing a variety of body types, races and genders. Our mosaics reflect the transformation that blue-collar work in the U.S. has undergone since the first half of the 20th century, and a change in attitude.