The Line We Walk contemplates the boundary created by the increased need to protect oneself and the ongoing effort to protect the world in which we live. Single use plastics have dominated our culture for decades, and while in recent years the move toward reusable bags, utensils etc. has increased, the current pandemic has caused us to regress to our former behaviors in new ways and extremes. While the recurring influx of take-out containers and individually packaged items from consumer stores is contestable and ultimately avoidable, masks, gloves, sanitary wipes and other disposable medical necessities appear vital to our safety and health.
In this piece I engage with our world through my own PPE constructed of single use plastic materials. A seemingly outlandish take on our current situation challenges notions of reality and choice begging the question, "What line do we walk?"
The coronavirus has impacted my practice in a variety of ways. It has definitely changed how and where I work on projects. I traveled back to my childhood home in Montana for a bit at the beginning of the pandemic and it definitely took awhile for my brain to accept it as my new work space. Not having access to the resources or being surrounded by the creative people I normally would have been proved to be a difficult adjustment. However, being in a new environment did open up new opportunities for material and space exploration that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Then, coming back to Colorado at the start of school and not having the usual studio dynamic on campus shifted my art practice again as I was mainly working from my apartment creating pieces that were more conceptual and ephemeral rather than sculptural and technical. Recent works have mostly been outdoor performances documented through images or video with concepts revolving around the pandemic. Although creating work during the pandemic has been both physically and mentally taxing at times, I am grateful for the challenges that have ultimately gotten me to where I am today.