Optimistic technologies

A collection of older projects working with unconventional approaches to wellness

In these works I explore the edges of mysticism and belief by pushing the limits of “technologies” for protection. Some of these techologies are '“generic” (i.e., crystals, spelled candles) whereas others are rooted in cultural beliefs (i.e., evil eye, palo santo). My work explores the tension inherent in the use of extractive or culturally appropriative wards, amulets, or cleansing herbs, while recognizing that such behaviors are often rooted in hope, ignorance, or desperation. A performative alter ego, Krÿstalla Blánc, is a nervous White woman who is featured as a recurring character in films and photographs with these objects.

Unsurprisingly, this work is informed by camp and queer aesthetics that center performance, costume, and craft to destabilize identity. Playing with the idea of ‘spiritual drag’ by using irreverent, over-the-top methods, I investigate the effort it takes to stay grounded in our hyper-capitalist era of disconnection. Through this lens, I build strangely magical worlds—vulnerable and darkly humorous—wherein my subjects try to stay resilient against neoliberal forces that run counter to our health. I immerse viewers in uncertain moments and ambiguous borderlands: liminal spaces that allow us to open up possibilities for unconventional methods of wellness.