OOTHECA

"The inspiration behind it came from observing the claws and limbs of beetles. I molded the base to echo the sleek, muscular forms and narrow waists of cheetahs and greyhounds. Functionally, the piece serves as a chain but also as a kind of "fidget armor." The wearer can explore the sharpness of each claw by casually sliding the closure up and down the creature’s neck during conversation.


"The beautiful thing about the trans, non-binary and GNC community, especially my friends and peers in this project, is that our differences and similarities are equally celebrated. Our hearts and bodies are different but our history is the same and it’s as old as cellular mitosis. Parts of a whole."

Website: https://ootheca.world/ 

ABOUT RACHEL:

Rachel Wark is a bi-coastal interdisciplinary artist, performer, production designer, herbalist and jeweler. Rachel has worked with Chris Habana for 8 years on the production team. With this new initiative, Wark announces the launch of their brand Ootheca. As an appendage of Rachel Wark’s varied art practice, Ootheca nurtures primal play and feral exploration. Ootheca delights in what is otherwise repulsive, impenetrable, and inconceivable of the creature domain. As wearable art, Ootheca allows an entity to adorn evolutionary adaptations for their own personal expression and expansion. Inspired by queer ecology, Ootheca offers alternatives rooted in fluidity, multiplicity, and interdependence. Ootheca is an incubator of interspecies coalescence and sexual diversity as biodiversity.

ABOUT THE PIECE:

The name of my piece is “Stag bite #1.”

Inspired by organisms that morph between genders as an evolutionary advantage, Stag Bite #1 was designed and hand carved by Rachel Wark of Ootheca for CHRISHABANA Re/Form as a symbol of fluidity, adaptability, and sexual prowess. The sterling silver cast pendant itself can function as an exaggerated hook eye clasp, dangle from a tight clasped choker or lay inverted at the base of the wearer's neck. As a protective talisman, the sharpened claws represent resilience and honed strength.

 

For the benefactor of my profit from sales, I've chosen to support trans/non-binary individuals in need through GoFundMe fundraisers. These platforms provide direct assistance to individuals within the community, and I appreciate the immediate impact this support can offer.