Reilly Blum [2021, Furniture Design]

I am an artist and researcher based in Atlanta, Georgia and Providence, Rhode Island. My practice combines the traditional crafts of quilting and inlay with digital production methods such as CNC-ing and laser cutting. Conceptually, my work seeks to visualize the intermeshing of myth, language, and land. My process often involves historical or archival research, distilling this study into glyphs, and then transforming these symbols into objects. Through plywood mirrors inlaid with linoleum illustrations of devils, dogs, and water, I ask viewers to insert themselves into symbol-driven narratives inspired by ancient mythology. The mirrors begin with analog sketches, which I digitize in 3D modeling software and then formulate as CNC toolpaths. I CNC the basic forms of the mirror, and then I laser-cut the digitized versions of my sketches in linoleum. From there, I fit the inlay and finish the wood components of the mirrors by hand. My quilting practice similarly makes use of both physical and digital design tools, but the fabrication follows more traditional methods. I am currently working on a series of mirrors and quilts that depict bug season in the Deep South.