Coffee Cups

Cast and Constructed Coffee Cups 2007-present

Coffee Cup Statement

One of the results of my methods of working is the development of a fetishistic relationship with the coffee cup itself. I find that many people, myself included, grip , stroke and otherwise caress their to-go coffee cups throughout the day. I see a parallel with the portable consumer fetish of the to-go coffee cup and the traditional traveling altars and fetish pieces seen in Buddhist and Hindu cultures. The coffee cup acts as a surrogate image for Buddha or Vishnu. Additionally the coffee cup itself is a stand in for the sippy cup, and child proof drinking container. This regressive nature of the to-go coffee cup is of particular interest to me as it references Freud’s original notion of the fetishistic relationship being one of sexual ambivalence. I have explored various permutations of the coffee cup as fetish object, through drawings, castings, and other sculptural and performative interventions in order to better understand this powerful force in my life.