The problem:
The diorama began almost four years when my husband and I bought our studio apartment in the West Village. The apartment was a small, sad, filthy space that required gutting before I could conceive of living there. We did a lot of the renovation ourselves, utilizing Ikea cabinets to their maximum, stainless steel from Chinatown and many pieces of plexi glass from Canal Plastics. Since the apartment is only 600 sf, with just two windows facing west, we had to be minimalists, though this idea was sort of cold and predictable.

The idea:
Since living in New York City requires a certain discipline of sparseness and simplicity, this challenging lifestyle tends to create longings for natural peaceful views, quiet places to think and find serenity. After staring at our blank white wall for several years, I began to imagine another window with a view of the countryside.

The solution:
A year ago, after an inspirational trip to Japan I was completely fascinated by the controlled and contrived versions of nature that seemed to pop up in the oddest places, delightful little slivers that appeared out of nowhere. This was a strange and lovely idea that I wanted to bring back home; hence the diorama or “other window” sprouted. A way to make sculpture a part of everyday life or a window with a precise, controlled view.

Nature is Sculpture is my Japanese influenced, diorama landscape series of artwork. Each diorama is made to order.