“Fool's Armor explores the relationships between identity and presentation, strength and softness, resistance and resilience. ‘The Banner of the Fool’ is a chainmail sculpture referencing medieval archetypes in a modern context. The knight, the wearer of armor, embodies strength and purity of resolve. This protector is contrasted with the Fool (jester, trickster, and madman). In medieval art, the fool is a useful character in moralizing narratives, stories which teach us how we should live and what behaviors to avoid. They are most frequently shown arguing -- with monks, kings, god, and even the devil. This strength in standing up to authority, in being fearless to live on the margins, is where the fool is representative of the queer experience.

Chainmail, as an object, embodies the concept of strength in community -- each ring cannot stand alone, but together form a strong weave. The sculpture integrates hardy metals with delicate silk ribbons, a dichotomy of materials highlighting the tension between outward presentation and inward identity. Objects in this series explore the armor we build up to protect ourselves and our community from an increasingly threatening world. The fool becomes, out of both necessity and love, a knight in playful armor."