Beryl Perron-Feller

they/them

Brooklyn, NY, USA

Beryl Perron-Feller is a craftsperson and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. They hold a BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design from Pratt Institute, and an MA in Critical Craft Studies from Warren Wilson College. When Beryl is not making things they enjoy beach combing, singing in the car, and hunting down NYC's best french fries.

“Taxonomy rules, but it will not rule me.

I am not drawn with hard lines.

My edges bleed, searching for kindred seeping margins.

I branch and wend and gush.”

www.berylperronfeller.com

@beryl_perron_feller

"Untitled", Copper, 8" x 5" x 5", 2024

How does your work relate to the theme connection?

“Points of connection are where we find common ground. In my work I use design principles, techniques, and material philosophies across craft expressions (mainly metalsmithing, textiles, and ceramics) in order to find places where I can dissolve disciplinary lines, seeking common ground. I want to see how materials behave when they are treated like a different material. For instance, when using thin gauge wire as a fiber to knit, loop, and weave, I am able to create voluminous three dimensional forms that have the flexibility of fabric, but the structure of metal. When I make vessels using this technique, I liken the process to pottery instead of raising because the way my hands attend to the malleability of the form has a similar sensitivity as when I work with clay. Making these kinds of connections is what ultimately drives my work."

NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores

What role does connection play in your creative process?

“Craft is the way I connect to myself. The work I make is often a means to feeling closer to intangible inner spaces like memory, ancestry, and sense of self. Working with my hands, regardless of the medium, is when my body and mind catch up with one another. When my hands are busy it is like I am having a conversation with myself, and when I finish a piece I feel like I know who I am a little better."

What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?

"Queerness has taught me to see things on a spectrum, which has transformed how I move through the world. Being able to see deeper nuance in all aspects of my identity has also led me to see the rest of the world in richer, deeper, deliciously contradictory ways. When everything exists on a spectrum it is easier to see myself in others (human and non-human), and I feel connected to them. In my minds eye that looks like a big three dimensional tapestry where I, and everyone and everything around me, is held/supported by the tethers that connect us. Through this queer lens connection is infinite, and loving all that surrounds me is loving myself."

NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores

[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium