There is No Calm in Stillness

raw cotton, cotton thread, nylons, polyester thread, meat hook

15 ‘ x 10 ‘ x 5 ‘
2023

This installation was constructed of hundreds of nylon pantyhose that were hand stitched to remove the toes. Each nylon tube was then stuffed with raw cotton, which in its just picked, carded state has an animalistic quality. The tubes were then tied together to form one undulating knot on site at the Dorsky Museum. They emulate viscera as they spill and pile, pulling away from the corner. The texture of the raw cotton straining through the nylon is evocative of mottled flesh. There is a feeling of reaching, of tension. The appendages were bound with one spool of polyester thread that was chosen because it is such a bright white, its unnatural quality contrasts sharply with the natural cotton forms. The thread is anchored from a meat hook installed in the wall, referencing the violence of controlled movement. From afar the muscular mass looks like it is resting by choice, but upon closer inspection the viewer realizes that its inert position is an illusion and that it is being constricted and bound, held in place by this seemingly benign material. The tension of the single ply thread constraining the monumental sculpture is palpable. How is it possible for a thin thread to constrict and force a body to be restrained? The title “There is No Calm in Stillness,’’ begs the viewer to question appearances and understand that just because something appears dormant, it does not mean that it is tranquil, or that it is still by choice.