A Bird House, Not A Home

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  My parents divorced when I was young. I grew up falling asleep to the sounds of arguing. Then, I lived with my mother for my teenage years, who would then fall into another toxic marriage again later. My stepfather was an explosive man and my mother was a manipulative narcissist. Child protective services were called on several times throughout my childhood. However, there was never substantial enough proof to make them take action. Beginning at the age 13, I fought very hard to get my custody changed to live with my dad but because I had no solid proof of abuse, it took a series of legal battles that went until I was 17.

This piece reflects my experience of growing up in an abusive household that cleaned up their tracks. There’s no blood on the wall, no broken bones. Nothing jumps out to the viewer and screams abuse! Instead, clues are sprinkled about the home that perhaps only a knowing eye would catch and think about. A child playing alone outside, a neglected bike, maybe not taken care of since it was bought, trash piling up, a mother’s makeup covering up a black eye. It otherwise looks like a cute birdhouse full of vibrant stylized characters. 

A Bird House, Not A Home is a multi-media sculpture. The structural part of the sculpture is made up of a wooden base, then surface treated with clay to give it a Claymation-style effect. The furniture is also made of a wooden base treated with clay and the figurines are entirely clay. I drew stylistic inspiration from the works of Scott Benson and Claude Borass.