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For a larger view, please click on the image.
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| the survivors |
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| the survivors ii |
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| blue |
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things that have survived years of use
and abuse...and still have a story to
tell. we are all survivors, in our own way.
| this is the sister piece to the survivors.
| feeling down, alone, blue...even when you're surrounded by people...
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| safe zippers |
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| life is a journey |
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| yes i can see |
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keeping quiet keeps you safe...right? zip
it up...keep it zipped...don't say a word.
| the directions we choose in life, sometimes we know which direction we're going and sometimes we don't...hopefully we find the right path.
| you know those people who try to manipulate or use you and they think you don't know what they're up to...but you know exactly what they're doing...
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| changings |
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| bound to family |
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| button up |
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two-faced people...always changing their
stories depending on which way the wind
is blowing...the light in the background
changes colors and the lenticular print
changes when you move the knob on
the side of the box
| sometimes there's a silent family loyalty
you feel bound to and sometimes it's not
a good thing.
| another way to stay quiet and keep it to yourself.
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| about me and my mom |
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| depression |
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| farewell |
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mother and daughter relationships can
be so complicated...my mother tried
her best to keep me down and tied to
her and only her. if i had my own life,
how would she be able to control me?
| feeling closed, disconnected, suicidal, lost and ugly. this is my depression.
| a friend of mine committed suicide and i imagine this is how she felt: disconnected and separate from the rest of the world. she had the most beautiful soul but she couldn't hang on for one more day...just one more day...
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| disconnected iv |
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| family portrait |
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| feeling dead inside |
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still feeling disconnected...a big X, a face
behind frosted glass, a hasp and lock,
a plug that isn't plugged in, a saw blade,
a red caution reflector light...these
things all say i am not connected to
anyone or anything.
| i had been looking at turn of the century
photographs where everyone looks so
serious and proper. i thought the vintage
flash accessory was a perfect father,
overlooking his family of bottle children
and paper mache wife. her dress is
made up of pages on photography
from a vintage encyclopedia and her
necklace is a piece from a vintage
camera. and all of their heads are
vintage flash bulbs, of course.
| oh, she looks so pretty and the box is so beautiful but the poor girl feels dead inside. she has a mask that hides the way she really feels, but i was able to capture this moment when she was showing her true feelings. and yes, you can turn the knob on the bottom of the box and watch her twirl to the music that's playing in her head.
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| disconnected iii |
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| exercise 1: thou shall not covet |
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| exercise 2: thou shall not covet |
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feeling disconnected from other people,
the world and even yourself.
| this is a 10 box series. each box i make
will contain items that are harder for me
to let go of. this series is not only about
letting go of physical items, but also
learning how to let go of things
emotionally.
| see comment under exercise 1: thou shall not covet
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| exercise 3: thou shall not covet |
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| exercise 4: thou shall not covet |
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| exercise 5: thou shall not covet |
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see comment under exercise 1: thou shall not covet
| see comment under exercise 1: thou shall not covet
| see comment under exercise 1: thou shall not covet
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| exercise 6: thou shall not covet |
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| fill me with lies |
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| the silent pact |
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see comment under exercise 1: thou shall not covet
| the things i thought were the truth when i
was young turned out to be lies. but how
could i have known? i was only a child. i
believed them and now i'm in the process
of unlearning those lies and relearning
the truth. this box is about incest and
how it filled me with feelings and
thoughts that almost ruined my life as
an adult.
| keep it a secret...keep it locked away in your memory and everything will be okay. the secret of incest or child molestation is devastating. it eats you up until you feel empty inside.
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all images are copyrighted. please do not duplicate in any manner or form without prior written permission.
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copyright 2006-2010 miriam west
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