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Sculpture

On Our Own Feet

Besides muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves, they have 28 bones: some strong; some fragile. They are intended to keep our bodies balanced and in an upright position despite the exertion of 100 to 200+ lbs of pressure. Some artists will avoid their complex shapes altogether opting to hide them instead. This installation is focused directly on using the foot as the metaphoric foundation of the lives they represent. As in Blackbridge and Gilhooly’s work “Still Sane,” the medium of clay affords a copy of the object right down to the smallest of details found in human skin. Each sculpture is the actual imprint of one of the person’s feet. Left unglazed and fired naturally, each foot reveals our commonalities: the texture of the skin, the inflated veins, the nature of the arch, and the skeletal notations of the bones. In addition, the artist will engage in a conversation with the subject around the issue of their feet, but do so in a manner that reveals the person’s life from the perspective of where their feet have taken them (therefore the title, “On Our Own Feet”). The subjects will be derived from the widest range possible (i.e., abled-bodied, disabled, marginalized, poor, rich, etc.). There will be from 5 to 8 sculptures. From this discussion, short bios will be written up and displayed with the foot in the installation. Our feet have taken us many places. Walked us through many tragedies and towards many joys. They have stood or wanted to stand in a thousand spots on this earth. Even feet that no longer “function” contain meaning well beyond their physicality. By setting the foot apart, mounting it as a sculpture on plinths draped in fabric, and establishing a context for it with a short bio (sample included) from whom the foot was cast, the artist redefines not only the manner in which people speak of themselves, but the foot and, therefore, the physicality of the human body itself. What is revealed to the viewer is a unique perspective on the extraordinary people who will be subjects for this installation. "On Our Own Feet" will be exhibited at the kickstART Festival in Vancouver in September 2004. See News Page for further details.

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