The Gift of life is Thine

Titles

'The gift of life is thine' is a growing project that stems from a feeling of powerlessness over one’s reproductive life, and the overwhelming desire to control it. It is comprised of multiple works, each with a graphical title that references public symbols of newborn babies. Such signs exist for instructional use and are ubiquitous within regulated public spaces (such as airports, hospitals, restrooms). Although the titles reference widely understood pictograms, they are reintroduced in a way that renders them illegible.

The hand-carved wooden objects are sculptural interpretations of these public signs, and the structures upon which they are placed are meant to suggest a context that balances between an old hospital nursery and a woodcarver's workshop. The carved wooden vises hold the pieces in place using pressure alone, and just like with any working vise, they can be re-adjusted.

Upon each structure stands a miniature version of the wooden piece; it is carved out of HDU (High Density Urethane), which is a material commonly used for prototyping in the world of design. This material is usually color-graded according to density– purple being the highest. These smaller pieces offer a clue to the artist's process of making.

This work is also a response to the classic yet questionable claim that making art is akin to giving birth. The notion of "labor" and its double meaning is at the center of this work. It pairs the skill of woodworking with the experience of childbirth.

"The gift of life is thine" is a line pulled from the beginning of Disney's animated film Pinnocchio (1940).


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