It’s no new concept that modern technology is resulting in fewer people reading books; however, I’ve begun to notice that the very thing consuming our culture, smartphones, is also getting hurt by rapid innovation. 

In this sculpture, I wanted to make the book feel like it’s breathing, to make it bleed as if it has a soul, and to have pages peeling off like layers of skin. However, the glossy phone on top of the book has also been damaged. There are scratches all over the screen, and it’s clear to us that it is an outdated model with outdated apps. This phone’s obsolescence was planned, and it has landed in the same spot as this tattered book that it once replaced. 

Awarded a Scholastic Art & Writing Award for sculpture, displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art