A Structure Within a Structure
Final Project

A Structure Within A Structure

Final Project

 

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Held explores the tension between the psychological state of being held and the psychological state of holding. 

 

Constructed from curved rebar threaded through chicken wire, the sculpture evokes a cage-like structure suspended from above. Rebar, a material engineered for strength and reinforcement and chicken wire for protection, take on an unexpected form: rather than supporting, it bends inward, suggesting containment, entrapment, and pressure. Additionally, the rebar that creates this confining structure is itself not connected, posing the question of the role of disconnection in protection, strength, and entrapment. 

 

The structure is physically held not by the metal, but by an iridescent, color-shifting fabric. This material—delicate, fluid, and ever-changing—defies assumptions about fragility. As it bears the weight of the sculpture, it challenges conceptions of strength and fragility. 

 

In its suspended state, Held uses the space as commentary on protection and entrapment, strength and fragility. It invites reflection on emotional and relational boundaries—how the same gesture that offers emotional safety can also limit emotional freedom. Held also asks the viewer to reflect on the role of disconnection and rigidity versus fluidity and fragility in the discourse that exists between being held and holding. The work asks: What is required to hold and what is needed to be held?