Beauty From Pain

This semester I took a beginning sculpture class, and although we only ended up having three assignments for 16 weeks, it ended up being the most difficult and challenging class I've ever taken in my life. Our professor, Holly, pushed me harder in a shorter period of time than any other teacher I've worked with, and she became more than just one of my favorite teachers, but also a friend. I owe her so much for making me want to be better, to be more than just mediocre. This assignment was with metal wire that we welded together. It had to be nonobjective, where it didn't actually look like anything in nature, and it needed to appear to "defy gravity". It also needed to have implied volume or actual volume. After the metal was finished, it was painted, and then a form of texture had to be added, which could also create or imply volume. 

My piece is very organic at the core, and sharp on the surface. I added broken glass to the wire as my texture. 

Take from it the meaning you choose, but with the glass and the red wire I put self mutilation as my answer. A way to take control over something in life, even if it's pain; this is what most feel when they participate in this act. Control their own pain in some way. I wanted to be a voice for those people, to show that it's not the only solution. It's not always suicidal, and the people aren't always sick. Sometimes they just need a voice but are afraid of speaking out or what others might say. My inspiration for this piece came from the nonprofit organization To Write Love On Her Arms, or TWLOHA, and their efforts to help self-mutilators and abuse victims find a voice and feel comfortable in their own skin.

for more info visit twloha.com

-Emily Cordula