by Rachel Spurling

Artwork Description

Misery

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In America today, violence is unfortunately a topic we often see broadcasted on the news, through social media, and various other resources. Almost everyday innocent individuals fall victim to devastating events caused by the thoughtless acts of others. As most Americans can recall the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that immensely impacted the hearts of many across the nation. It is truly heartbreaking to see the weak and innocent targeted in these intentional acts of violence, especially when children are involved. Many stories have surfaced about people hurting children by hiding dangerous objects or harmful poisons in toys, candy, playground equipment, etc. By creating a teddy bear form out of twisted metal, my intention is to express awareness about this rising problem to warn parents and families. I titled my piece Misery to describe the grief of families who have encountered these vicious attacks, and to acknowledge the horror of how heartless these attacks on children are. A feeling of suspension is created through the use of material. One might ask why a child’s companion would be seen in this type of manor through welded steel. This sculpture also creates tension with its hollow, motionless skeleton and off-putting childhood resemblance. While the sculpture embraces the idea of these attacks on children in an extreme manor, the objective is to make parents double-check what they give to their children and to always have a guard up when purchasing toys or candy from an unreliable resource.

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