Art.hro.poda: shell was a traveling series of movement-meditations beginning in Oceanside, California. In each Art.hro.poda: shell movement-meditation, her shell acquired new forms, functions and expressive qualities as she adapted to each environment while carrying the traces of where she had already been. 

Inspired by the adaptive features developed by arthropods over thousands of years, Art.hro.poda relies on a multilayered, modular suit that morphs, detaches and reconfigures as she moves from one environment to the next. Art.hro.poda is based on Shell-tear-wear. Conceived as a continually evolving medium to explore form, Shell-tear-wear breaks down into small components easy to transport, but which expand into dynamic, temporary structures with endless possibilities. I have used versions of this medium in six international street performances.

Art.hro.poda: shell was generously funded by a Rachelle Thiewes Department of Art Faculty Endowment and DoART through the University of Texas at El Paso. Photos by José De Piérola and Leland Foerster