Paper Playroom

When the coronavirus arrived in the Boston area, my toddler daughter Moxie and I began spending our days at home together. One afternoon, we painted with washable paints and cheap printer paper, which crumpled as it dried. Looking at the peaks and valleys, illuminated by the sunlight streaming into the playroom, I was inspired to create sculptures out of ordinary brown paper products, including bags, packing materials, and Kraft paper. I set these sculptures by a window and revisited them throughout the day, photographing them while Moxie ate her snacks, napped, or played on the floor.

 

Brown paper has turned out to be an ideal medium. It is readily available and nontoxic. It is not fragile; these sculptures can fall on the floor and be picked up again. And it is recyclable and biodegradable, pluses for me as an environmentalist.

 

Over time, my passion for the paper sculptures has grown. They take on lives of their own, forming surprising shapes and becoming lively creatures. Just as Moxie finds wonder in simple toys, I find joy in twisting, folding, and photographing paper. She and I, each in our own ways, have turned the confines of our home into a place of imagination and growth.

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