Eliza Redmann – Arts Access North Carolina

My name is Eliza Redmann – I am a sculptor, architect, and founder of Folded Poetry design studio. When a car accident upended my health, personal life, and career as an architect, I was forced to reinvent myself. I found a way to utilize my creative potential for healing by creating art. My passion to create is now driven by my changed experience of life after my traumatic brain injury. Both the function and aesthetic of my work are born out of experiencing disability.

Based out of Durham, North Carolina, my art is a child of the pandemic. This work began with the creation of simple paper form studies in the basement of my home during April of 2020.

Simplicity is both the constraint and the strength of my brand, Folded Poetry.
While headaches limit my hours of screen-time production, the bedrock of Folded
Poetry is the use of a small number of simple forms which, when created and compiled
physically, can be arranged to create complex geometries.

These geometries are inspired by persistent visual disturbances caused by my traumatic brain injury. Often when I look at patterns, they appear to swim or move on their own accord, much like an optical illusion. I seek to capture the structure of regular patterns and shapes, while adding a layer of visual information which the eyes and brain can’t quite make sense of. This disorientation is designed to challenge viewers to perceive outside of what is normal or traditional, just as I must now live, adapt, and navigate the world in new ways.

Drawing upon my architectural training and skills in craft and construction, I have
brought my work to a large scale through the creation of light-reflecting sculptures. I’ve also pioneered creations of ‘acoustical art’ pieces – works which are both beautiful and serve to make spaces more quiet and accessible for individuals such as myself who struggle with auditory overwhelm. My work pushes beyond framed pieces of art and navigates where aesthetics meet functionality.

While my work is indeed impactful as art itself, more importantly it has been the primary driver behind the recreation of my health and the reimagining of my life’s purpose.

Website: foldedpoetry.com
Instagram: Folded_Poetry

A cluster of geometric shapes that have the appearance of a crystal formation in a digital form. The colors on the page are orange, silver and black — Cruella; folded paper on foam board; 24×36″, 2021 Using 3D modeling software, I design the entire work of art in digital space before ‘unfolding’ it piece by piece. I flatten each entity to be printed, cut, and folded – born into its physical form. I simple materials – cardstock paper, foam board, and elmers glue. I selectively use color to enhance the geometry, focusing primarily on line and shadow. This is the first piece I’ve ever made using a black background.

Multiple 3D Dimond shapes of gold and silver are hung on a wall with a light off to the side causing shadows to cast to the left of them. — Cruella; folded paper on foam board; 24×36″, 2021 Using 3D modeling software, I design the entire work of art in digital space before ‘unfolding’ it piece by piece. I flatten each entity to be printed, cut, and folded – born into its physical form. I simple materials – cardstock paper, foam board, and elmers glue. I selectively use color to enhance the geometry, focusing primarily on line and shadow. This is the first piece I’ve ever made using a black background.