By Tayler Smith
Micaela Cadungog graduated from the University of Houston in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasizing in photography and digital media. Micaela is a multidisciplinary artist who uses textiles and photography to explore intimate spaces with an extreme eye for intentional detail. With many talents under her belt, Micaela has focused on cyanotype, quilting, photography, and embroidery.
Quilts by Micaela Cadungog
The photos displayed on the quilts is a process called cyanotype: a dark blue impression. This is a specific process that is a type of analog photography. Two chemicals are mixed together that then become sensitive to UV light which develop a bright [cyan] blue. This process is sensitive. The human body is sensitive. Micaela didn’t need a darkroom to develop this work of art. Instead, she was stuck in the in-between of transit and merely following the city’s grids from one place to another that never quite felt like home. When taking a closer look at the three quilts, Micaela describes these as “an intentional violence that results in an object of comfort” because quilts are supposed to be comforting and cozy, but the images themselves are encapsulated on the fabric unable to leave. The main focus is the body (Micaela’s) in the fetal position. She took a photograph of herself to transfer onto these quilts as a way to find comfort, security, and softness. However, the torso is hung upside down, and the legs are cut off, which conveys a deeper tone that “feels like a grave.” [These quilts are] “a place to leave something behind or to come back to.” The sectioned body was intentional to reveal the mirrored images of each other and to evoke the raw emotion Micaela was feeling most: Restless.
As Micaela dispersed into other areas of her life, she realized the avoirdupois connotations she has with her childhood home. The displayed sculpture is a blueprint of her childhood bedroom in her parents’ house. The sculpture is made out of glass rods, cut up bedsheets woven together and white organza fabric spilling out of the framework. Micaela is 5’4”and so is the fabric. This visual adds a level of depth and texture to the piece. Micaela describes her vision as, “the further you’re away from spaces, the more discernible the rose-colored glasses become. The closer you get, the clearer and more transparent they become.” The glass rods are not only see-through, they are also extremely fragile and cracking at the foundation. Though woven together, everything is ready to crumble in its instability. The fabric represents not fitting into this box and unwilling to find comfort on the woven sheets she slept on each night. With the lack of comfort in hollow, gossamer walls, Micaela moved to Denver from two other cities as a restart into a new place to call home: Bedroom #3.
Glass House Micaela Cadungog
Micaela is now focusing on projects with a “fantastical and filtered” lens with much more detail and finite view. She has stepped away from photography to dive into textiles, beading, resin, and block printing. As Micaela extends her roots in Denver, her inspiration stems from her current partner as they embark on what they have both searched for most: home.
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About the author
Tayler Smith is a dental professional by day and a writer by night. Along with being a part-time barista, Tayler knows when to put the work aside and indulge in the arts. Growing up in Colorado, Tayler masters the craft of connecting with others, especially amongst the Denver community; she thrives on getting to know people through art shows, open mics, bookstores, concerts, and tasty cuisine. Talery has published a book of poetry and is a skilled writer.