Weight

130 X 66 X 17 cm   .   acrylic, fabric, beads, paper, clay, and assorted items on wood    .   (2007)

Like most women I know, my current weight can dictate so much: my mood, what I wear, even how I walk down the street. This piece allowed me to elucidate my thoughts and feelings about my weight: mentally, emotionally, physically, culturally. I also thought of my daughters often while working on the piece. I'm trying to raise them to tie their self image and their sense of body-worth to health indicators instead of a number.

Using two pieces of wood, I constructed a sort of 3D head to knee representation of myself. I mounted one piece atop the other, with about four inches between them, and created various scenarios on the back piece. On the front, I cut out doors, hinged them, and then dressed her up.