ReRooted
The words "refugee" and "immigrant" conjure many images for people in the West, and many of those images are rooted in fear. We are scared of an increase in crime, terrorism, a drain on our country's resources and a decline in our standard of living. How often do we put ourselves in the shoes of the person forced to leave their home due to unforeseen circumstances, against their will? Or the person looking for the opportunities we all deserve? Through the use of reclaimed furniture pulled from the roadside, dangling in the air as though suspended in tornadic winds, I am posing questions for the viewer to contemplate. Through the lens of the continental philosophy of Guiles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, we can unpack this piece with the idea in mind that there is a deterritorialization taking place and a reterritorialization happening, or a Re-Rooting. When something is ripped from the foundation, be it a plant or a home, or a family, its' natural inclination is to scramble to establish normalcy in a new environment. Whether or not it is successful depends on the identities you assign the objects in order to assess the sculpture.
