These sculptures are neither plastic bags nor human feet but a combination of the two. The works defy and deny the function implicit in the forms they depict- the feet cannot walk and the bags cannot contain or help to transport anything.
The artworks represent commercial goods. The raw materials for the sculptures were collected over the course of a year. The bags were used by the artist and then sorted and stored according to color. Each molded foot contained several layers of plastic bags and resin. The works are not painted but rather employ the existing colors of the collected bags. Any commercial logos present on the bags were erased with acetone before the bags were cast with the aide of a single foot-shaped mold.
Feet are associated with support; with holding up a person or an item of furniture. These feet support nothing; not even themselves. They are either shown within a display case or hung from a ceiling or against a wall with the help of a length of monofilament. Rather that acting as pedestals, they act as items for us to admire. In becoming consumer goods, they lose their capacity to support a human body.
No two human feet are identical, yet the forms repeat with enough similarity to suggest factory style production rather than handcrafting. The popish, “serial” presentation (regular spacing) of the feet recalls an in-store presentation of consumer products. The viewer/buyer is invited to express a preference from among the available options; to buy into an illusory notion of choice. The freedom to purchase is contrasted with the physical freedom to move one’s body from one place to another. The piece suggests that the one cannot replace the other and that our consumer decisions cannot ultimately define us, as individuals.