“Red Lantern” specifically references the Chinese immigrants who built California’s railroads, and whose descendants created what is now San Francisco’s Chinatown, just forty-five minutes to the south. The eggshell-lacquered lantern, custom made for this installation, and the train tracks that descend into the pond remind one of the history these workers left behind and headdresses with the adornment of red crystal droplets. The oversized chopstick are carved from railroad ties and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
