On your Toes

These pieces juxtapose different sized male and female feet on tiptoe with forms of plastic water bottles, some regular sized, some elongated through repetition. The works are white and matte, and neutral in texture. When exhibited outdoors, the works are planted on metal stakes in the ground; they appear to stand of their own volition. When shown indoors, the works are affixed to discreet steel plates.

The feet in these works are solidly planted upon the ground, however they are also frozen in a very precarious position. A human body can only stay on tiptoe for a certain amount of time before feeling the need to step into a more comfortable position. Even though these sculptures remain in this straining position, the stress that they are under is palpable. The viewer senses a contradiction between an untenable body position and the reality of the object forcing the impossible.

The shape also resembles that of a foot inside of a pair of high heels (and brings to mind the attenuating blisters and soreness that accompany holding that posture for an eternity).

Rather than being connected to a fully formed human body, the feet terminate independently, in the forms of identical, symmetrical water bottles. The feet themselves become a pair of objects. Visually, they are displayed together in a way that enables one to imagine where a body might have been, above them, however the right foot remains objectively disassociated from the left.

The bottles themselves are representative of our one-time-use culture. Rather than continuously filling a bottle with tap water, consumers purchase plastic bottles, drink them, and then throw them away. In the short term, it is cheaper to acquire goods and dispense with the accessory garbage than it is to filter tap water and reuse containers. This cursory attitude toward garbage is ever present in our society. In this work, I am suggesting that just as the posture of the feet on tiptoe cannot last forever, neither can this attitude toward our waste products.

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