L.A.S.H.*
The L.A.S.H.* Series
Between May 20th and June 16th, I hiked 454 miles in a Pacific Crest Trail section hike. The L.A.S.H. series serves as a visual and written account of this experience through a typed and risograph printed zine and a series of jewelry. I’ve created an edition of 30 unique transcribed anodized titanium paracord brooches to echo the accounts and emotions of each day. I use the symbolism of color and pattern to help convey my state of mind: one piece for all the days pre-trail, one for day zero, and 28 for all the days I was actively hiking. Functioning as part diary, part exhibition catalog, the zine includes each titanium piece from the series, superimposed over photographs from the trip. I embrace the grainy inaccuracies of risograph printing as a process akin to recalling memories. Fuzzy, yet filled with warmth, and hazy as if half-remembered.
My passion has singularly revolved around making jewelry for the entirety of my adult life until recently. Over the past few years, I've become enthralled with the world of long-distance hiking and backpacking to the point where it's almost an obsession. This work is an attempt to blend these two identities. Coincidentally, titanium plays a heavy role in both niche subcultures. In my jewelry, through an investigation of Titanium anodizing, and in backpacking, through the array of specialized lightweight Titanium gear options. On some level, these pieces are an effort to legitimize my interest in a new hobby and study the patterns and color palettes associated with the aesthetic.
Initially, drafting a trail journal and first-hand account of my trip seemed ridiculously self-indulgent and frivolous. Will anyone read this, and will anyone care? There was great uncertainty and anxiety in embarking on this hike as a solo traveler, and many points along the way where I questioned my decision both in subtle and significant ways. Making this body of work was recreating and documenting that vulnerability. Walking for hours on end was more than a pedestrian task—it became a transformative experience.
*Long-Ass Section Hike