Survival Suit

 

Title: Survival Suit
Place/Time: Astoria, Oregon Transfer Station Tipping Floor / 2016
Coastal Oregon Artist Residency in Astoria, Oregon (Recology Western Oregon Artist-In-Resident)

Size: varies / suit 7’2″ x 7’7″
Materials: discarded: event tent fabric, pop-tent zipper, silver foam sheeting, car windshield shade, bike trailer velcro

Details:
In this work I explore my visceral draw toward contaminated edges and survival mechanisms used to live in unsafe areas. I use the landscape of the landfill to explore my distraught over dysfunctional systems, environmental injustice and foundational inequities built into where people live. Survival Suit takes shape from the design of immersion suits found on life rafts and is made from materials found in the landfill. Survival Suit is meant to physically navigate the landfill as well as poke metaphorically at how we might collectively navigate with equity in a landscape such as this.