Recent Works
A collection of work made since 2020 through graduate school that ranges from sculptural objects to interactive performances.
(Also see Waffle Tree House and Taller Tall Space)
Zipconnect
2022, Performance, mixed media, “We found Love” Karaoke version by Rihanna
Length: 15 minutes
How do we process grief? How does this process become absurd in an attempt to make meaning out of things that do not make sense? I have been thinking of these questions while processing and trying to understand the pain and love my family and I have experienced as my grandmother has changed with dementia.
This video presents portions of a performance .A waiting room/stage/platform exists for audiences to view the performance. As they wait for the performance to begin, pamphlets, that include pictures of the artist’s family, describe the difficulties and questions one is faced, both being a caretaker and existing with dementia. The artist zip-lines across the boundary between studios, placing extra-large post-it notes of the lyrics to Rihanna’s “We Found Love” as the karaoke version plays in the background.
Passage
2022, Performance, wood, inkjet print, wheat paste, fire extinguisher, conduit, emergency stickers, tin foil, light switches, breaker switches, wire connectors, 39” x 39” x 16” Duration: 2 weeks
This work responds to a site specific window gallery that is on a heavily trafficked path through campus. This image sits in the window during the exhibition. Each day at random times, the artist occupies the actual space, with which this image shows an image of, and performs a small task, such as eating a meal. Inside the building, one can see the wooden enclosure, with a hinge door, to have access to the window.Inside the building, one can see the wooden enclosure, with a hinge door, to have access to the window. For the opening, the artist filled the space-pod with popcorn, which flowed out a tube into a bucket to be served to those attending the opening.
Night Walk
2022, interactive performance, steel, casters, and emergency light, reflective vest, bungee cords, helmet, plastic balls, personal PA system, 9’ x 9’ x 4.5’, Duration: 1.5 hours
This formal sculpture, similar to the types of static sculpture I have made, was outfitted with casters and a flashing safety light. I strapped myself with bungee cords inside and led a tour around campus.
I wanted something honest.
2022, Performance, plywood, foam, construction lights, fake vines, inkjet print, wheat paste, 5’ x 8’ x 3’
The billboard is an architectural intervention protruding out my studio windows in the historic campus at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Each morning and evening for two weeks I would put up and down the two billboards featured. the text is out during the day, the moon rises at night. Each sign change takes about 20 minutes. The ritual ended on Election Day which coincided with a lunar eclipse blood moon.
Waffle Tree House
2022, Performance, Homemade waffle mix (including GF and V), powdered sugar, maple syrup, bananas, rope, wood, glass, paper and plastic containers, music, dimensions variable, Duration: 1 day
A treetop waffle restaurant, where the artist made free waffles in the canopy and delivered them to people via zipline.
Reclamation 2 (98″ x 69″ x 92″) and Daybreak (72″ x 76″ x 26.5″) pictured together and separately.
Sensation and Perception: A Psychological Study in Fictitious and Absurd Circumstances
This video recording comes from the data archive of the Sensation and Perception study completed at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Participants were solicited from Cranbrook Academy of Art and were briefed with an extensive consent form (below) outlining the three sections of the study and what would be asked of them. Their participation was voluntary and could be ended at any time with no penalty. Participants received one lollipop for their participation.
The following video clips show portions of data collection from subject 218A from the Survey section and survey data processing. Not included are clips from the tear collection portion of the study.
The Survey in question asks for responses to the absurd and includes questions related to fragmented memories. The full survey is below.
The Artist Statement for the Serious Artist
A steel looping timeline encompasses the entire room. The timeline has a random ordering of events and objects. The timeline serves as a stage and a decoy to allow for a surprise performance during a critique that has no defined start or ending.
The critique starts with reading an artist statement about the psychology of beginnings and endings. It devolves into a poetry/performance. It is supposedly over and the “real” critique has begun, however, these reoccurring characters are spotted outside.
For most accurate documentation, please reference the “Artist statement for the Serious Artist” Script below.
Memes in Life: A Revisiting of the Research of Dr. Ekaf Tenrethi
William Lanzillo gives a lecture on the research of Dr. Ekaf Tenrethi. The Lecture covers current academic research on memes and also analyzes many of the documents that Dr. Tenrethi graciously shared with the artist. These documents provide insight into their analysis and the state of the internet. The Lecture concludes with a discussion portion were the lecturer and audience share memes with one another and analyze them together. This Video only presents the introductory marks of the lecture.
Reclamation, 2021, Steel, 18′ x 13′ 6″ x 12′ 10″
This sculpture continues to push the line between 2 and 3 dimensions. It exists both as a sculptural from and as a drawing, with each individual piece acting as its own mark. The work highlights the space around the sculpture and the landscape behind it. With this work Lanzillo continues to explore how steel, a material typically thought of as a heavy building material, can be given an airy and light quality, while still working on a large scale. Reclamation is installed at Buffalo Creek Art Center in Gardnerville, Nevada.
Tendrils, 2020, Steel, 24’ x 24’ x 16’
The sculpture references the small details found in natural vines growing at Franconia Sculpture Park, its install location. It stretches over a pathway, and serves as a gateway as one walks through the park. It was made in 4 pieces over the course of 3 months and has over 12000 individual welded pieces.
Who do you change for?
2020
Mixed Media, woodcut
54″ x 72″
George Floyd’s murder and continued activist efforts have shaped a reckoning about racism in America. Is this reflected in the media we consume? How has the media confirmed these changes or maintained the status quo?
Faced with an overabundance of news and media, we all must decide which stories and voices we prioritize. This work examines the media I consumed and produced in the 30 day period before and after George Floyd’s murder. This work questions which voices I have centered in my media consumption and creation and why and how George Floyd’s murder changed the focus.
Skyloop, 2020, Steel, 23’ x 20’ x 11.5’
Skyloop presents a dynamic sense of organic movement that viewers can experience as they walk underneath the form. It frames the sky above as it rises out of the ground and then rapidly flows back into the earth. It is installed at East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis, MN
Wilson’s Promontory, 2020, Woodblock Print, 14.5″ x 18″
Gesture Drawings
This body of work comes out of a process of gestural sculptural sketches. Like an artist sketching in their notebook, the creating of these sculptures parallels this process as the artist intuitively builds these pieces to capture movement through the repetition of shape and form. At times, the abstracted shapes in these pieces take on anthropomorphic qualities.
These works range in size from 12-36 inches in height.
