Wired
Wired
Description: Newspaper and masking tape stacked together to create the main structure which is secured to a wooden base. Old wires and cables connect to the top of the head.
Artist Statement: The sculpture captures my struggle during a difficult time in the past. I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and in high school I really started to notice the ableism that existed in society and had to come to terms with my diagnosis, despite the shame and fear the world had taught me to feel. This sculpture captures the feelings of being trapped inside one’s head. To feel as though you are screaming for help, trying to communicate, but on the surface no one seems to notice. It captures how one can feel something so deeply yet to everyone else it can appear that they feel nothing at all.
Very quick and basic preliminary sketch.
Some of the inspiration came from an exercise I did with a bunch of other student artists on a pre portfolio prep short course at University of Art London in Chelsea.
Building the statue.
Artist Statement
The sculpture captures my struggle during a difficult time in the past. I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and in high school I really started to notice the ableism that existed in society and had to come to terms with my diagnosis, despite the shame and fear the world had taught me to feel. This sculpture captures the feelings of being trapped inside one’s head. To feel as though you are screaming for help, trying to communicate, but on the surface no one seems to notice. It captures how one can feel something so deeply yet to everyone else it can appear that they feel nothing at all.
Being on the spectrum, it is sometimes harder for me to communicate, especially when expressing my emotions. In recent years, I have improved my communication skills and my ability to mask the fact that I am on the spectrum. The statue captures the feelings of that time in my life and the wires come from the phrase “differently wired” that refers to neurodiversity and how I am wired differently.
Beyond the statement this sculpture makes on a personal level, I hope it can stand as a beacon to those who struggle with being different and suffer as a result of the world’s reaction to those differences.