SARS-MASK-2
This piece was started in mid 2021 and finished on 04 December 2021. It was a follow-up to another mask I had made from an upcycled work shirt that I could no longer fit in (see here).
The mask is made from various colors of condoms collected from HIV/HCV prevention efforts that I was involved in when I worked in the School of Nursing at IU, doing research under Greg Carter. Some activities included work with sexual behavior through the Kinsey Institute, HCV prevention through the Center for Rural Engagement, or public health interventions through the School of Nursing, as well as volunteer work at the local IndianaRecovery Alliance.
During this time it was the COVID era and I noticed that condoms, discarded and left to nature, were being replaced with surgical light blue masks. There was a sense of creativity and exploration in the ways that ordinary objects were being transformed into protective wearing I wanted to make a piece reflective of this time. I used the collected condoms that were handed out and old shoelaces that I found in one of my art boxes to build the mask. It is stitched together using simply a needle and sewing thread to match the grey of the wrapper.
I chose to arrange the colors into a rainbow to serve as a reminder of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 80s, and to carry forward a part of history that felt like it was forgotten, discarded, or ignored but paralleled the COVID pandemic. This piece will always be a symbol of the experiences during this time, as well as a conglomeration of my involvement in research, social activities, and coming of age.
LACRIMEDIA 