Eden Tighe
she/her
Edinboro, PA, USA
Eden Tighe is a jewelry/metals student who makes sculptural body adornment communicating relational interactions. Her favorite mediums are titanium, brass, fabric, and alternative materials. She can be reached at her instagram @artbyedenw.
“One of my goals is creating a mind-boggling experience that people spend time with, and alter perspectives. The achievement of a finished piece is to storytell through my own language. Furthermore, accomplishing my ultimate goal, communicating how relational entities interact and how these interactions form relational values. I strive to create a whimsical world to escape the outside world, but also make pieces that help others to persevere through it. Process, a priority of my practice, lets the world take control and allows my surrounding environment to influence myself which is powerful.”
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
“In terms of material choices I use, I do not consciously choose my materials that relate to my identity. However, having always felt like ‘the other’ or the odd ball in the room, I feel the materials I choose empower and find the confidence in me to defy the standards around me. My materials could subconsciously relate back to my queer identity through their qualities. My favorite materials to use are titanium, fabric and alternative materials. These materials can all communicate various thoughts and feelings through color and texture. Growing up I always wore what would fit in the crowd, which would be black, gray, and darker tones. Growing up in a small town, with no opportunities, I had always done the bare minimum because it felt like I was succeeding in my environment. Contrary, since coming out as trans and transitioning for a year and a half, I have discovered this little girl inside me who has been shut out. This girl had a wondrous imagination, wanted to be super colorful, wanted to challenge boundaries. Therefore, subconsciously I think my queer identity have effected my material choice by empowering and taking "the other" name and turning it on its head."
Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
“My work is queer because I am queer; I identify as a trans woman. The series of rings I have submitted, ‘Persevere’, is one of my only pieces that relate to my queer identity. However, the rings relate to universal life struggles felt within the past few years of my life. Identity is one aspect that inspired the Adam's apple ring. I wanted to provide imagery of a trans woman's body without being blatantly obvious. Therefore, I picked the Adam's apple because it is a body part that is less commonly known for getting a surgical procedure on. This particular ring comments on the struggle of identity, being silenced, not being able to speak up, and the silence behind violence. So while my work is not specifically queer because of the subject matter, it still tells the struggles of me who is a trans individual."
"Persevere", Copper, brass, laminate, 4-5" x 1.5", 2024