photos by Chris Austin
Plato’s cicada, 2025, cicada exoskeleton (2024 brood), pulverized smart phone screens.
“Socrates: Everyone who loves the Muses should have heard of this. The story goes that the cicadas used to be human beings who lived before the birth of the Muses. When the Muses were born and song was created for the first time, some of the people of that time were so overwhelmed with the pleasure of singing that they forgot to eat or drink; so they died without realizing it. It is from them that the race of the cicadas came into being; and as a gift from the Muses, they have no need of nourishment once they are born. Instead, they immediately burst into song, without food or drink, until it is time for them to die.” - Plato, ‘Phaedrus’, 259 c, trans. Stephanie Puiman Law
scroll, 2025, pulverized smart phone screens, matte medium, Galvalume, hardware.
swipe, 2025, pulverized smart phone screens, matte medium, Galvalume, hardware.
SLOW LEAK (Li-Ion), 2025, eau de parfum of essential oils and denatured alcohol, open edition.
“A lithium-ion battery leak smells like a strong, sweet, chemical, or solvent-like odor, often compared to nail polish remover, rotten eggs, or sometimes even fruity/alcoholic, indicating escaping electrolyte, and requires immediate, careful handling due to fire/explosion risk, involving disconnecting the device, moving it to a safe outdoor spot, and proper disposal.“ - artist's search results using Google AI
Female vocalist approximates sounds from a Tesla electric vehicle, 2025, audio, 10m loop, speaker, stand. Vocalist credit: Kamala Sankaram.
