Self-Portrait as Lot's Wife, 2007

44"w x 66"h x 18"d

salt, polyurethane foam, polyurethane resin, mirror

This is a self portrait of me as Lot's wife - the character in the Bible who turned around to look back on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which God punished her for by turning her into a pillar of salt.  Supposedly the moral of the story is to learn how to let go of your past and move on.  Salt is a preservative, so it represents what can happen if you don't heed this advice... you will never change, or be stuck in the same situation until you do.  

To make the sculpture, I first had to make a mold of my entire body with plaster gauze (which took two attempts... the first time I passed out).  I then cast into these molds (front half, back half, and head) with liquid expandable foam.  Next, I had to piece the different foam body parts together, carve them down, and spackle and sand the seams.  I coated the foam body with about a 1/4" of table salt in layers using spray glue.  The finished sculpture was positioned with one hand on the wall, looking back at itself in a small mirror.

As you can see, the sculpture self-destructed during the night before my review. It fell over, due to the fact that I didn't secure it to the wall.  A very stupid mistake on my part. But less unfortunately, it fell apart in a really amazing way.  

I put it back together for a solo show I had in Rochester in June, titled Self-ish. And then just a few days ago I threw it in the dumpster. I am so happy to have finally let go of my past.