duality
Mixed-media, 2007Books represent structure in our society. They are repositories for information, storing ideas for dissemination throughout the populace. Books represent knowledge. To alter a book is to alter the book's essence, to change its function. I chose two books that have impacted the world in ways that are immeasurable. The Bible and the Qur'an, the holy books of Christianity and Islam respectively, continue to impact individual and world beliefs in these modern times.
The first thing one may notice is that this "altered book" does not resemble a book anymore. The pages have been displaced, removed from their bindings and wrapped around the figure. The words have been taken, misused, and twisted to the person's perception of reality. He stands hollow, his eyes vacant, screaming at the viewer while pointing at an empty book. His words are not his own, but borrowed from the book to serve a hard shell to protect himself from independent thinking. This man has the semblance of the person, but his features have been muted; fingers blended together and shapes distorted. He's traded his individuality for self-righteousness. The man's ears have disappeared completely as he has no interest in discerning opinion, but only in what he screams. He is the epitome of the fanatic. Half of him is covered in pages from the Bible, half in the pages of the Qur'an. Despite this, his body remains whole, one person. The twin faced book upholds the idea of duality, that each is one in the same.
The sculpture could be considered somewhat of a self-portrait as my body, my own flesh, was used to cast each piece and I still carry small scars from its removal. This is only fitting as I grew up religious and still carry the mark of that training mentally, even if my own beliefs have drifted and evolved. You are your history.
