Paleta::Pallet (made in the Philippines)
2005 carved mahogany
Pallets are the workhorses of domestic and international shipping, each one typically carrying hundreds of pounds of goods. Always recycled, pallets travel from destination to destination, transporting different loads, and always separated from their point of origin. Using a design language more in keeping with architecture and furniture than with the functionalism of international shipping, my pallets are ornately carved and inlaid with mother of pearl. Functionalism belies their beauty and ornamentation subverts their use. These objects suggest a number of interpretations, including how we value labor as well as ideas about memory, immigration, and displacement.