PANDEMIC-INFLUENCED

How Many More

35.5” x 11” x 11.5”

This is a memorial to the thousands who tragically died as a result of the pandemic. It’s also a political statement because this sickness could have been handled more competently. The orange line snaking around the piece represents the rising numbers of case and deaths.The woman on the lid represents all the victims and families that have suffered. There are sewn photos of COVID molecules but these are actually a benign presence. The real culprit here is ourselves.

This was a difficult project from a technical standpoint. Originally, there were three cylinders, constructed of plastic canvas woven with yarn and other fibers. I learned the limits of not thinking about an underlying structure. I had to undo, redo, and discard, despite hours of work. 

The solution was a cylindrical oatmeal container for the middle cylinder (now the top cylinder).

I sniffed out a heavy cardboard tube for the largest cylinder. It took hours to cut through. I imagined that suffering through this piece, sweating, grumbling, and achy from working on the floor, might, in a way, mirror what COVID sufferers might be experiencing. Of course, I could breathe normally. 

This actually started as an attractive piece. But, hours of work transformed it to represent the ugliness this pandemic has unmasked. The inclusion of mini-skeletons and human teeth is a not-so-subtle statement about our current administration that tragically values politics over people and the election over America’s future.

Detail. Click to enlarge.