Sculptor and installation artist Dana Falcini works with organic materials – from fish skin and feathers to human hair and bone – to create sculptural forms rich with emotion and meaning. In this reflective conversation, Dana shares how time away from making deepened her creative practice, and how her raw materials hold quiet conversations about memory, care, and transformation.
I realised the work was more mature than I was, and that I needed to grow up and catch up to my art – to be its equal. I wasn’t making, but I was unpeeling myself in a different way.
– Dana Falcini
Takeaways from this episode
- Organic materials carry emotional weight.
Dana’s choice to work with animal gut, fish skin, human hair and bone isn’t about shock value – it’s about respecting life cycles and listening to the stories these materials quietly hold.
- Time away from making can be generative.
Dana’s year of reflection and writing helped her grow into the confidence of her practice, not by producing outcomes, but by uncovering deeper alignment between self and work.
- Your art can outpace you.
Dana speaks candidly about the moment she realised her work had developed more boldly than she had. Her response? To meet it with maturity, patience, and self-inquiry.
- Making is a process of rhythm and presence.
Whether stitching fish skin or weaving copper and bone, Dana’s studio process demands focus, silence, and an intimate connection with material and form.
- The discomfort is part of the invitation.
Viewers may initially be drawn to Dana’s work and then recoil upon learning what it’s made of. For Dana, that tension is the gateway to something deeper – a quiet challenge to reflect, not react. there.”
Explore the artwork from this episode below
During the live interview, we shared some images of Dana’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.
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