Devan Shimoyama: Rhinestones and telephone lines

In The Studio enters the dazzling world of American visual artist Devan Shimoyama as he makes a brand new installation for the recently re-opened Arts and Industries Building at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.

Reporter Kristin Vermilya follows Devan in the months leading up to the Smithsonian’s Futures exhibition as he completes work on The Grove, an imagined future monument created in response to the turmoil and tragedy of 2020, surrounding racial violence in the U.S. and the Coronavirus pandemic.

We hear the painstaking process of creating a shimmering urban forest of utility poles bedazzled with thousands of rhinestones and Swarovski crystals complete with gem-studded shoes and silk flowers dangling from their power lines. And how drag culture and his grandmother’s innate sense of style has inspired this radiant artwork which represents a space for both collective grieving, and the healing power of hope.

Presented by Kristin Vermilya
Produced by Edwina Pitman for the BBC World Service