A Deeper Sleep
A Deeper Sleep explores ideas of loss and grief through the shared experience of making small, handheld forms. The project begins with the death of my mother. When she was dying she would hold these objects in her hand because they were tactile. This seemed to be soothing for her – a way to communicate since she could no longer verbally speak. Looking for ways to process my grief, I started to make these pieces, alone, while sitting with my thoughts. Thinking of Wolfgang Laib’s quote “[repetition] is the most beautiful thing that exists,” the process of creating so many of these would become calming and meditative. In continuing the narrative and wanting a piece that was both more vulnerable and powerful, I reached out to others willing to participate in the experience of creating, telling and listening with me. No longer about just my story, A Deeper Sleep reflects the power of coming together and being present. The repetition of physically making the forms, while both speaking to and hearing each other creates a collective human experience and a sense of knowing that we are not alone. In the mass of the larger sculpture each individual piece holds someone’s unique story.
