Backbone

StudioBlockM74, Mexico City, MX
Steel, coffee waste, ratchet strap, plaster, yarn, ceramic, wood
2025

During my four-week residency at Studio Block M74, I developed a site-specific installation that focused on the visible wiring running throughout the city — the makeshift repairs, temporary fixes, leftovers, and traces of once functional systems that testify to fast-growing and evolving urban environments. I was interested in how this omnipresent sprawl of electrical wiring often feels improvised and chaotic, yet somehow it functions — feeding and connecting the city. The infrastructure felt like more than just a technical necessity; it reflects the dynamics, growth, and adaptability of urban life. In my installation, I responded to the way the cables hang, stretch, tangle, and overgrow the walls and sky, exploring tension, gravity, and movement to reveal the fragile balance between connection and overload.

This was the first time I included biomaterials in my material palette. I developed biodegradable wires made from coffee waste, seaweed, glycerin, and water. These handmade cables act as the wiring that runs throughout my installation, connecting its different components. The coffee waste was collected in and around my neighborhood of Guerrero, so the people of Mexico City are, in a sense, embodied within the material itself. These wires are fully organic and will naturally break down after the exhibition’s takedown.