Untitled (Burning Body) 2019

Beeswax coated hemp wick, mold of artist’s body.

video 14’44”

Untitled (Burning Body) originated as a mold of my body made of beeswax coated hemp wire that would act as a flammable material that could then be extinguished by my own hand. I filmed this process of burning in a single aerial view camera frame that plays on a projected loop within the gallery space. At the time, this work enabled a shift in authorship, a liberation from past selves marking the beginning of an investigation into gradations between the automatic as well as a reclaiming of my own personal autonomy. When creating this work, I was interested in the role of documentation and my own surrendering to both time and the material. After the burning of the mold, the piece no longer existed in physical space but rather in the form of video. The body, although it is mine, can serve as a stand-in body for that of the viewer and as well as a collective body that is in need of care.