Zoonosis

2015

Materials: Handmade paper, wire, matte medium, yarn, wool roving, natural objects, glue, fishing line

 

The concept behind this work arose out of news stories regarding the outbreak of Ebola in Africa, and how the disease likely migrated to humans from several species of monkeys. Zoonosis is “Any disease of animals communicable to humans”.  For the piece I created plant-like forms rather than animal-like objects as the source, and a loose cluster of open shell/cell objects suspended above. The red wool fiber crossing the gap between the lily-like felted “flowers” and the cluster of river-rock casts, that then began crawling up and around and into the concave forms, was meant to suggest the spreading “infection”.