Visibility is a Trap
screen printed toile wallpaper and textile with images of RI ACI, bird cage, lamp with 19th century print of dueling birds and braided rug
8’ x 6’ x 5’
The door of the bird cage is made in the shape of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, a late 18th century prison plan that was circular in shape and had a central watchtower. I use repeating circular patterns throughout this installation, including in the braided rug, a sign of home and hearth and also of women’s work. The dueling birds, cage and toile entangled with barbed wire reveal power structures present in everyday life and suggest that even in domestic space feelings of unease and entrapment are ever-present patterns of behavior.