Plates which express Mexican-American culture and tradition
Nicole McLaughlin, a fiber and ceramic designer from Massachusetts, utilizes her work to examine the intricacies of her double background. She was born and brought up in Massachusetts, yet she still feels a strong connection to her Mexican heritage. Due of this ethnic dichotomy, McLaughlin fuses two different, typically home media has created dynamic sculptures that represent the intertwined customs and aspirations that she inherited as a first-generation Mexican-American.
When McLaughlin first started studying ceramics in high school, the primary concentration was on practical pottery. She didn’t begin to discover a deeper significance in her work until she began her craft studies in school.
She informs My Contemporary Met, “I started thinking about my work in reference to my own particular history and experience.” “Once I achieved that, the tools and methods I was employing in my studio work began to carry enormous theoretical significance, which led me to incorporate fiber. It actually developed out of my desire to give my art more depth. I was heavily researching Mexican handcraft customs and the origins of those methods at the time. Since then, clay and fiber have come to represent how the clash of two different cultures has molded my life.
The use of the string adds aspects of motion and vitality to the otherwise hard and motionless structures, even though it eliminates the usefulness of her creations. The components of their shapes are simply taken out of their usual context and made to play a different role, which leaves room for a wide variety of viewpoints.
In the end, McLaughlin’s art acts as a mechanism of exploring and honoring the customs of female in Mexican culture through a modern representation authentic to her own individuality. “My life is considerably dissimilar from what may be considered the norm, but that doesn’t indicate I disagree with those principles. My mom and grandma have worked so hard to ensure that I can understand my tradition and ancestry. They are the greatest influencers on my imagination and determination since they were the ladies who reared me. Even though we occasionally may not agree, we are all rooted in our respective cultures.
Ceramics and threads are combined by Massachusetts-based designer Nicole McLaughlin to produce stunning architectural creations.
She explores the complexity of her combined Mexican and American origins via her paintings.
McLaughlin aims to “pay respect to the customs of female in the Mexican culture” via her individual perspective using her ceramics and fiber works.
