Thesis statement…
(And Developing thoughts )
This body of work is about the consequences to the blue-collar class. My father was the catalyst to this work. He builds houses, machinery, and has worked on cars his entire life. As a result to years of physical labor, his body is deteriorating. Last year he endured his first spinal fusion. It is becoming increasingly obvious he will be physically unable to continue work as before. I can’t do anything for my Dad, except watch him deteriorate and lose parts of his identity- “the blue-collar guy”. I began thinking about others who have led similar lifestyles. What is happening to their bodies? Are they too becoming this hybrid man-machine like my Dad? Are certain workers more prone to certain implants and replacements? Can we decipher the type of work they have done based off the hardware that’s been installed?
Before the spinal fusion, an implant was inserted in an attempt to reverse the chronic pain. When pain was experienced, he would press a button on an iPhone screen connecting to an app. In turn, this app would send a signal to the nerves within his spine to “shut off”. It is the idea of the implant inside the body that I first found inspiration. The imagery of the machinery used within a spinal fusion led to the type of work I am doing now. I think it is both incredible and terrifying the kinds of technology and hardware used to repair my Dad’s body, and the similarities between the tools and technology he uses to repair machinery, houses, etc.
I imagine an assemblage of men and women with hybrid parts marching to work to learn they have been replaced by automation, and it breaks my heart. I create to feel like I am doing something to make a difference. I braze vertebrae after vertebrae, because to some degree the assembly is cathartic and symbolic for my desire to build up my Dad. I use steel most frequently in this series, because it will rust after time. I connect the oxidation to what is happening in the bodies of these workers over years of repetitive motion. The variation in form is to honor and memorialize the surgeries, the pain, and the structures that caused it.