Petrify
[pe-truh-fahy]
Verb (used with object) petrified, petrifying
-
to be numb or paralyzed with astonishment, horror, or other strong emotion
2. to make rigid or inert; harden; deaden
I don’t like the term “anxiety,” even though I know that is it’s proper name. It seems too easy to call it that from a distance when to me it is much more. It’s the bones in my hands feeling like they could shatter out of nowhere and not believing people when they tell me otherwise. The difficult part about anxiety is that it makes no sense, it sends physical signals of fear to your body from your brain when there is no imminent danger. This series is about the paranoia I feel that my body will soon fail me, despite there being no proof of this in the near future. I aim to extend the general public’s understanding that anxiety is more than “all in your head.” It is a petrifying physical feeling in both senses of the word. To convey this message, I have used plaster to show brittleness in my hand and create a similar texture to petrified wood or stone, it is hardened while remaining fragile at the same time. Through this process I have transformed my hands, forcing them to be viewed as specimens rather than a part of the human form.







