Carrie Cooper
Stay Inside
stop motion animation; linen and embroidery floss
11 x 11 in.
NFS
Being quarantined with my partner and two cats, I am blessed to not be without physical touch. However, I am not as “touched” by the outside world as I used to be. For an introverted artist, this has not been a bad thing. When I first started making my new series of mixed media dioramas titled “Isolated Figures,” I saw them as representing the artist self (or any outsider, non-conformist, etc.), which is colorful and complex, but is expected to conform to the monotonous, white-washed world around them.
Post Coronavirus, this meaning became more profound, since I’ve been staying at home and am less impacted by the fast-paced, greedy, and dysfunctional capitalist society outside my door. Despite the horrific tragedy of lives lost and the negative impact on our economy, being less impacted – or “touched” – by the outside world has been a source of freedom for me. This work expresses my sense of sadness at having to reenter – and be negatively “touched” by – a society I don’t agree with or feel I belong in.
© Carrie Cooper