Containment
This piece is a 3-D sculpture comprised of plastic prescription pill bottles, wood, and LED lighting. As with the majority of older Americans, I've had a number of prescribed medications throughout the years and decided to start saving the bottles a while back. I had no clear notion of what I'd be doing with them, but I enjoy exploring non-traditional mediums with my art.
This piece was a complete departure from my usual aesthetically-driven objective. I've always felt that art can sometimes be over-purposed towards socially opinionated intent, and if I were ever to go that route, it should really resonate with the viewer.
I've been increasingly astounded at the sheer volume of prescription drugs today. Even pre-pandemic, the addiction and death rates in this country associated with prescription drug abuse/overuse were staggering. The pandemic up-ended our reality, and accelerated the use of medicinal coping mechanisms to epidemic proportions; the demand for anti-anxiety meds and antidepressants exploded. We all sought to contain those emerging negative effects without consequence.