Brilliant's monumental indoor installations transform gallery spaces into immersive environments constructed entirely from coffee shop materials. The centerpiece of each installation is a massive woven structure made from 30,000–60,000 coffee stirrers, assembled on-site using only tension and compression—no adhesive, no fasteners, just patient, repetitive weaving that can take 50–100 hours of continuous labor. These structures hang from ceilings, wrap around columns, fill corners, or cascade across walls like enormous, fragile cobwebs.
The installations function as site-specific responses to architecture, revealing the character of each space through obsessive, repetitive making. They're labor made visible, consumer culture made sublime, and craft practice pushed to absurd extremes. Viewers consistently describe them as meditative, overwhelming, beautiful, and slightly insane.
Space Requirements
any
Timeline
Ideal on-site installation: 5-7 working days with 12 hours of access per day
Ideal exhibition duration: 6 weeks minimum recommended, up to 12 months (12+ months is considered a permanent acquisition)
These projects can be adapted to specific institutional contexts, budgets, and timelines. For inquiries, space planning, or to request a detailed proposal, contact Anna Rooney Thorp (anna@studiothorp.com)
Full portfolio at jonathanbrilliant.com
Contact
Anna Rooney Thorp
anna@studiothorp.com
336-745-0853