2025

64”x36”x24”

Repurposed oak side table, radiant cut and beveled glass, mirror silvering, colored pencil, upholstery foam, batting, screen printed fabric (print based on fruits and flowers classified as “unfit” in Luther Burbank’s photographic archive. 8 layer repeat print from hand painted original in 1970’s style), colored pencil on ink sensitive linen fabric, slipcast ceramic from fruits gathered from Sonoma State Hospital’s historic orchard, underglazed stoneware, lame’ fabric, glass beads, tinsel, flocking, glow in the dark paint, sequins, wood armature.

I think of this object as the wash basin that would exist in the reimagined hospital orchard. The mirror is cut glass that I silvered to create the reflective surface. When I visited Luther Burbank's estate, I saw it was adorned with Victorian era cut glass. When thinking about dismantling the hospital grounds or Burbank's research grounds and taking back the orchard, I imagined repurposing the starburst cut glass and turning it into mirrors that reflect our own radiance. The form of the vanity mirror indicates that it was built for multiple people to be reflected at once, with five starbursts cut into it. There are four toothbrushes beside the ceramic bowl, representing a loss. The fabric on the pedestal is an eight layer screen print that I originally hand painted to evoke a 1960’s/70’s style. 

When I imagine what I really want, I just want to wake up and brush my teeth and wash my face with you. You as in my trans neurodiverse partner, my mad and dead brother, all the friends and family who have died because they didn’t receive the care they need, all the people still here who deserve to rest and some sweetness. I want us (the “people of the orchard”/myself and other people living with external and internalized stigma for our trans/mad/neurodivergent/non-normative bodies) to exist, as we are. I want us to see ourselves and each other as radiant, to feel connected, and to enjoy the sweet pleasures in life while participating in the mundane tasks of existing. I want it to be a more commonplace experience for us to be known and loved and cared for.

Photographs by Hadley Raysor Photography