Leslie Roth
Small Cog, 2021
Recycled foam board, canvas, yarn, wire, wood, staples/tacks, polymer clay 12" x 6" x 10"
Muskrats are often perceived as nuisance animals, commonly trapped and killed, in spite of their worth to marshy waterways where they maintain open water by harvesting plants that they consume and use as building materials. I created Small Cog with a healthy dose of tenderness to invite consideration of this small yet important cog in marshes and liminal waterways.
Leslie Roth
Safer Than A Human, 2020
Recycled foam board, canvas, yarn, wire, wood, staples/tacks, polymer clay 23" x 12" x 13"
We have always imagined monsters, woven them into stories, drawn them on maps. We employ them as agents of malevolence, cast ourselves in opposition as guardians and defenders, and yet we are currently the species most capable of annihilation. I crafted Safer Than a Human in response to human imperfection during the pandemic.
Leslie Roth
Binge Watching, 2021
Recycled foam board, canvas, yarn, wire, wood, staples/tacks, polymer clay 13" x 8" x 13"
During the pandemic, for many, streaming shows and movies was more enticing than ever before.
Leslie Roth
Cessation, 2023
Hemp twine and yarn, spalted maple base 6" x 9" x 9"
Menopause, what can I say? I have a new fascination with empty vessels, especially slightly chaotic ones. Twines made from natural fibers, like hemp, can have such vitality and life, and are a pleasure to use. The imperfections in the material’s structure and surface add richness to the weave, both when working with it and to the finished vessel, and lean-in to the techniques of random weaving.
Leslie Roth
The Sweetest Grape, 2020
Recycled foam board, canvas, yarn, wire, wood, staples/tacks, polymer clay 21" x 9" x 47"
Leslie Roth
Necessary Baggage, 2022
Yarn, wood, stuffing, polymer clay 11" x 7" x 4"
Leslie Roth
Stew, 2022
Recycled plastic bottle, cardboard, newspaper; yarn, wood, polymer clay, stuffing, tacks 17" x 8" x 5"
Our throw-away culture with its hyper-consumeristic imperative informs the treatment of animals raised in the industrial agriculture model. Rather than seeing chickens as sentient beings, they are products for consumption, only existing for our use. This attitude makes possible inhumane and abusive practices at every step in the animals’ lives. Stew, with his anthropomorphic characteristics and body of reclaimed materials, challenges the notion that chickens lack agency are just an item on the menu.
Leslie Roth
Inside the Box, 2017
Insulation foam, yarn, canvas, wire, sticks, polyfill stuffing, polymer clay 6" x 5" x 8"
Leslie Roth
Borrower, 2018
Insulation foam, yarn, canvas, sticks, polyfill stuffing, polymer clay 23" x 8" x 7"
