"64"

"64" came to life when I was inspired to create a meaningful piece of art for someone I love. I chose my brother, a police officer recently diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I wanted this project to be functional, so I decided to make each piece a coaster. This way, my brother can use them in his daily life while still maintaining a meaningful connection to the artwork. The piece is a tribute to our childhood memories and serves as a reminder to him that he is deeply loved. The design features columns, each representing a different family member. Within each column is a picture of that family member with my brother. To view the picture, he can assemble the coasters from the same column together (see the second image, which shows our mother’s column). Each row corresponds to a question from my "Get To Know You" quiz, which I had my family participate in. The categories include, but are not limited to, favorite drink, favorite color, favorite movie, favorite show, and lucky number. The piece is called "64" because it’s my brother’s lucky and favorite number. It also draws inspiration from the hand-clapping game we used to play as kids, Concentration 64! I created the coasters and box using a laser cutter and large sheets of plywood. Each piece was hand-sanded, stained, and carefully designed in Adobe Illustrator. To ensure durability, I finished everything with a layer of polyurethane and Mod Podge.