「禍夜想」(magayasou) - a portmanteau comprised of three archaic kanji which roughly translates to Calamitous Night Thoughts.

Named after the song of the same title by the avant garde Japanese metal band Dir en Grey, this collection is about the things that keep me up at night: trauma, fear, and the unrelenting creative energy that quells and transforms those racing thoughts into a personal form of healing.

 After complex traumatic experiences, the depths of our own minds seemingly sink further than the abyssal zones of the ocean, where the pressure of the nadir leaves us immobilized and isolated in a darkness that obscures the line between distinct threats of deep sea monstrosities and the subconscious narratives built from our past.

This collection deals with the remnants of who we are after repeated trauma and how we collect those pieces and patch them back together to heal. We are never the same after witnessing the depravities of the world around us; however, a torn world is not a world lost. Transformed, we learn to build back our little worlds from the shreds of our previous ones. Despite the destruction imparted by these experiences, there is still beauty to be seen in the scraps and fragments of who we once were. Moreover, there is an emergent sense of strength and empowerment in this beauty comprised of former brokenness. With it, we walk into an unknown future vulcanized by the fortitude we find in our own vulnerability.

 Each piece in this collection is made from vintage fabrics, scraps, and pieces discarded by others due to their perceived imperfections. Reflective of my own healing journey, this collection builds a new world from the debris of the old one. Each piece is a snapshot of that non-linear process. Sometimes, the lines between scraps are blurred and the scars have faded; in other moments, the creatures from the depths are ripping back through the fabrics of our reality. In the end, we reach a stasis in this new space and find a peaceful solemnity where we simply exist.