Pedestals (2018-2019)
In 2018 I began exploring sculptural installation and casting processes as a way of investigating the beauty industry's obsession with isolating physical body parts to either put up on a pedestal or publicly shame. The absurdity of body parts resting atop these pedestals mirrors the absurdity of the practice itself. Early installations included plaster casts of my thighs, feet, and knees resting atop 'pedestals' that reference human forms, but refuse to maintain a shape that would share characteristics of conventional beauty. The pedestals are partially adorned in quilt-like patterns of brightly-colored textiles, which consist of donated clothing from women. The textiles are adhered directly to the plaster, accentuating their irregular forms like skin-tight clothing, and highlighting the folds, ridges, and bulges of material as you walk around them in the gallery.
In 2019, my interest in pedestals began to shift toward the precariousness of the human body. I began building 'pedestals' from scrap wood--sometimes secured by hardware, and sometimes precariously stacked. This change in focus occurred soon after learning that my spine deformity was progressing and would require major surgical intervention to prevent impaired lung and heart function. The appearance of the wood structures was purposefully deceiving; due to the nature of wood and our expectations of its stability, it was not immediately apparent that even a small bit of force could topple the entire structure. I further obscured any potential indicators of stability by covering the wood and any hardware used with rhinestones, fabric, and donated women's pantyhose.
In 2019, my interest in pedestals began to shift toward the precariousness of the human body. I began building 'pedestals' from scrap wood--sometimes secured by hardware, and sometimes precariously stacked. This change in focus occurred soon after learning that my spine deformity was progressing and would require major surgical intervention to prevent impaired lung and heart function. The appearance of the wood structures was purposefully deceiving; due to the nature of wood and our expectations of its stability, it was not immediately apparent that even a small bit of force could topple the entire structure. I further obscured any potential indicators of stability by covering the wood and any hardware used with rhinestones, fabric, and donated women's pantyhose.
2018
Pedestals, 2018
Insulation foam, plaster, gesso, rubber, fiber-fill, and donated textiles
Dimensions vary
Insulation foam, plaster, gesso, rubber, fiber-fill, and donated textiles
Dimensions vary
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2019
Precarious Pedestals, 2019
Wood, steel, PVC, hardware, rhinestones, fiber-fill, textiles, donated pantyhose
Dimensions vary
Wood, steel, PVC, hardware, rhinestones, fiber-fill, textiles, donated pantyhose
Dimensions vary
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