After completing the Indivisible flag, I was left with unused stars that seemed to demand their own piece. Removed from their political context, I began seeing them as part of nature rather than symbols of borders and divided land we call "states." Around the time I was sitting with these stars in my studio, the United States had bombed nuclear factories in Iran. Living in Santa Fe, I felt the reality of being so proximate to Los Alamos.
As I worked with these loose and disparate stars, the word "supernova" came to mind—describing a dying star. I began to see parallels between stellar collapse and our national moment: a country that has reached a certain mass and begun collapsing in on itself. I can also see this sentiment reflected in the nuclear weapons we invest in so heavily. So much is invested in these weapons of mass destruction, while citizens' basic needs are neglected. People are left struggling for necessities. While my work often addresses the tension between what is natural and what is manufactured, I considered the type of supernovas that occur naturally versus the ones that we create or generate with force.
By dividing "union" into "un ion," the piece visually demonstrates the fracturing of our United States—literally breaking apart the word that represents our collective bond. The separation creates a double meaning: it shows our national division while simultaneously referencing the splitting of atoms in nuclear fission. The blue fabric, stitched together from fragments of various state flags, reinforces this theme of fragmentation and attempted reunion.
The wordplay transforms "union"—our founding ideal of unity—into "un ion," the undoing of atomic bonds. This creates a meditation on both the nuclear threat and the forces that divide us as a nation, where the breaking of language mirrors both the death of stars and the breaking of our social fabric.
The word can be read as one "union" or "un ion," ultimately giving the viewer a choice around a sense of hope.
The photos I've included above show a group of people gathered around the flags. The piece served as a catalyst for conversation, and I facilitated discussions around grief, hope, community, and possibility. The work allowed members of the group to soften as we sat with the tension of the present moment.
