In the way that people tend to keep things for too long, or save things for later, I make work that is in the language of the renovated: the couch seat cover tailored to match the seat that is never actually used; trim work painted fresh again and again. Somewhere between using things and trying to save them from ourselves, our efforts create a situation where our things outlast us. I find metaphors about person and place inside of this. 

In my sculptural work, I am interested in handling found materials in a way that enhances a quality of history that is sustained. I work materials to physically fuse a now with a then. Surfacing forms with found material has become an important part of my vocabulary, whether I am speaking in architecture or in clothing, both holders for time and lived experience by the body. The dents, scars, and physicality of previous ownership speak to the mirror materials can become over time. Stabilizing things, or holding them in place through solid construction in my building practice, is a metaphor for remembering and not-forgetting. 

Bio

Christina P. Day’s art practice recontextualizes roles related to material lifespan: designer, fabricator, owner, maintainer. Her improvisational building language stems from textile design strategy and is focused on the conversation of material as content. Her work takes form in architectural installation, surfacing methods, textile pattern logic and match finding. Day is a full-time faculty member of the Fiber Department at Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, MD), where her teachings focus on cloth production methods and experimental fashion. Recent exhibitions and research on material history have been completed at AUTOMAT (Philadelphia, PA), Fleisher Art Memorial (Philadelphia, PA), Commonweal Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), Hagley Museum and Library (Wilmington, DE) and Kirkcaldy Museum (Kirkcaldy, Scotland). She maintains her home and studio in Philadelphia, PA.  

For inquiries regarding work and projects, please contact: chrissy@chrissyday.com