Palm
Tree
~67in., scrap wood pieces
Sculpted as a part of a sculpture course with a prompt to create a structure that can both hold a plaster sculpted fruit and that is about as tall as you are, I created what I call a deconstructed palm tree. The plaster fruit I constructed was a deep green, unripe plantain, a staple of Caribbean diet. I decided on a deconstructed palm tree as my attempt to subvert the idea that Haiti, and other islands in the Caribbean are “poorly equipped” to sustain themselves without the aid of foreign countries. By angling the small scrap wood pieces I wanted to imitate a thorny exterior that had the potential to poke things in its proximity. At the base of the tree exists a small gap, a safe haven, a fortress, just big enough for the plantain to sit in. Here then, the tree both represents a womb and a shield of armor. This was my way of framing Haiti as protector, nurturer, creator, mother.