Cage and Crown

"Cage and Crown" refers to muselets, the wire cages that sit atop champagne bottles. Echenique converts these mundane objects into something new. Trashing perfectly good, colorful metal wire was anathema to her. Plus, their individual shapes, especially when flattened, she found intriguing. Recalling Ghanian sculptor El Anatsui and his liquor bottle cap works, she began connecting the muselets—weaving them—using only wire from the cages.

Unrecognizable upon first glance, a building recognition of what the material is triggers surprise, joy and mystery, which invites further engagement. The beguiling texture and cast shadows of these sculptural “weavings” create an addictive visual intrigue.

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