SARAH BEDNAREK | Comforting
Word
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Comforting Word, 11/2004, 24in x 60in
x 24in, used sweaters, foam, wood, wire
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I made this piece at the height of the debates
for the presidential election. It is a podium with press microphones,
covered in grandma
sweaters. I have noticed, as I think we all do, that public officials
speak almost completely in coded bromides. This seems to be a diversionary
tactic.
The discourse presented to us is highly
sentimental, appeals to our most deep-seated fears, is largely
atrophied, and lacks
the depth and diversity in which
a country as large and populous as America should be conversant. I am making
a correlation between the pattern and function of grandma sweaters to
these deeply unsettling observations about public discourse. Grandma
sweaters
insulate and warm a frail and ailing body while projecting benevolent
cuteness and sentimentality.
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