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‘Miasma’ is Greek for ‘pollution’ and first meant blood spilled in a crime, then became connected with disease. For the Greeks, contagion was caused by guilt for wrongdoing, and the only cure was atonement by the guilty person. Until germ theory arose in the 1880s, later miasma theory held that diseases like cholera and the Black Death were caused by a miasma, or noxious “bad air.” The Miasma installation considered how people have dealt with contagion over time, using excerpts offering explanations of cause, attributions of blame, and coping mechanisms. These texts were executed in hand embroidery and laser-cut wood. The work also featured sculptural constructions that incorporated familiar objects suggesting our vulnerability (e.g., tripods made of crutches), with a special look at the role of chance and fate.
waferboard, particle board, plywood, Masonite, basswood, steel, cotton hand embroidery, laser-cut plywood, netting, beads, animated incandescent lights
9’ x 16’-8” x 14’2”’ (2022)