Ideas & objects that exist in the liminal world between life/death, waking/sleeping, existence/extinction.
Dead Hare
2014
wool, silk, wire
10 x 24 x 20"
This piece was the first of a series of animal sculptures. It is entirely made in a blend of wool and tussah silk, so it has a subtle luster like marble. The hare is raised up as though it is a boxer thrown to the ground after an especially-hard punch. It is struggling, yet the title tells us it is already dead. It recalls a long history of epic marble sculptures except here our hero is a humble rabbit. It could be a snow-shoe hare, but closer inspection reveals no color whatsoever other than the natural ivory of the wool.
It was inspired by Joseph Beuys' "How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare" (1965), hence the title, "Dead Hare." This piece is ecological in purpose, evoking our relationship with the natural world. I wanted to capture the emotional appeal of The Dying Gaul (323-31 BCE) and to highlight the desire to live that precedes death.
It was inspired by Joseph Beuys' "How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare" (1965), hence the title, "Dead Hare." This piece is ecological in purpose, evoking our relationship with the natural world. I wanted to capture the emotional appeal of The Dying Gaul (323-31 BCE) and to highlight the desire to live that precedes death.