DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/CQ4K-EQ40

Defense Date

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Sculpture + Extended Media

First Advisor

Kendall Buster

Second Advisor

Lily Cox-Richard

Third Advisor

Massa Lemu

Fourth Advisor

Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste

Fifth Advisor

Annie Evelyn

Abstract

The explorations in this thesis writing are centered on William Blake’s proverb “The cut worm forgives the plow.” It has been reinterpreted as an allegory of history and energy. A theory of their relation is proposed based on forgiveness, a theory that accepts the palimpsest of orders as evidence for the abundance of the present moment. The writing focuses on questions of proportionality, scale, archaeological screening methods, planar cutting, and a critique of entropy as grounds for this theory. Some of its subjects include the Statue of Liberty, Kate Raworth’s donut economic model, sashimi, triangulation, Joseph Beuys’ “7,000 Eichen,” semiconductors, Incan “Paccha” vessels, quantum superposition, Danh Vo’s “We the People,” Elizabeth Fisher’s carrier bag theory, and flintknapping.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-6-2025

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