Universe / Self-Portrait 45

Gold Chamber
Universe / Self-portrait 45 marks the starting point of the Universe project and consists of a gold-cast shell (case) of the physical space located inside my skull, as if it were a reliquary. The interior space was made “tangible” using a CT scan and 3D printer. This physical chamber is occupied by my brain and cerebrospinal fluid.

Common System
Countless philosophers have pondered the question of whether the world outside this room is the same for each of us. This is a complicated question, but it is a given that in order to function within a society, we will have to relate to a common system of conventions and constructions of “consciousness” in a physical, social and political sense.

Speculate
These constructs form the core of this work and the starting point for the entire Universe project, which questions constructs regarding freedom and restraint, privacy and social behavior, and the capacity for self-development and self-determination within a humanist tradition. I hope to make these phenomena visible and tangible with a new series of sculptures and installations, beginning the speculation on their content.