[6] The work took five years to complete[7] and was followed with Back Yard (1996-1999), for which Lou enlisted the help of volunteers to recreate grass in a 525-square-foot (48.8 m2) model of a backyard.

Her expansive practice formed out of necessity as many hands were needed to continue to weave and sew large scale beaded sculptures and installations.

[11] Lou reached out to an organization called Aid to Artisans with an idea that her bead practice could provide income in high crises communities.

[1] In Durban, Lou created many sculptures and paintings working "elbow-to-elbow" with 50 highly skilled South African Zulu beadworkers.

"[16] Lou returned to Los Angeles in 2014 but continued to run her Durban studio, commissioning woven panels and canvas that would be incorporated into her installations.

“[Solitude] has given me the opportunity to explore my own gesture in ways that I haven’t done in many many years.” Lou's solitary practice embodies a challenge to stay present and grounded in the silent labor of her work.

The experimental group show included 50 artists whose practice embraced labor-intensive process or craft in unique ways.

"[26] After viewing the exhibition Garage Magazine journalist Sophie Kemp wrote that "Kitchen is a deeply campy and seductive piece of feminist art.

As Lou states, "The idea was to employ as many people as possible, using the slowest possible technique in order to engage a community, and to build homes in the process of making an art work.

[32] For three years Lou collaborated with her Durban Studio artisans in South Africa to stitch together 600 hand sewn beaded cloths.

The final installation consists of a 100 foot long canvas artwork titled “The Cloud.” This work originally debuted at the 21st Biennale of Sydney in 2018.

"[23] The Cloud also showcases a new technique in which Lou hammers the woven beaded cloths to reveal an underlying framework of frayed threads unraveling from their previous grid.

This technique reveals the dedicated labor required to produce a seemingly perfect hand sewn beaded cloth.