Work in Progress, Neon Sculpture and Sound, Installation
“Your umbilical cord is cut twice, once when you are born and once when your mother dies.”
The title of this work comes from a saying that my mother told me in reference to her own mother’s death, even though she adamantly denies ever saying it. Using a conversation that I recorded between my mother, sister, and me as the backbone, this neon light and sound installation is an intimate and electric portrait of the women in my family and our complex dynamics around motherhood, infertility, adoption, abuse, love and death. The sound fills the space and triggers a neon sculpture to respond to the cadence of our voices. Each voice connects to a different colored thread of neon, and the three strands join in the center of the installation to create a pulsating knot of light reminiscent of a tangled, neon umbilical cord.
Made possible by: New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Grant nominated by Union Docs, course scholarships from Urban Glass
Collaborators: Sound Editor and Designer Kaija Siirala | Technology Developer James Akers
Exhibitions: Gallery MC, New York City Oct. 2023
