Ariel Kotker

Today is approximately day 1,200 of my quarantine, as I’m largely homebound due to ME/CFS. When the world began to shut down, many people slowed to my pace, and I no longer felt like I was trying to catch up. This helped me focus. But I’m still up against my own disabilities, and most of the time and energy I’d like to use for art making is spent instead on ADLs.

This is one of many sculptures for my interactive installation in progress. Each sculpture is instilled with a little bit of meaning, and together they make up a cohesive whole with a bigger meaning. That whole is a life-size room, which tells the story of a boy learning about death. As I create items for his story, I usually decide what to try according to my dis/abilities at the time.

This spring, in the quiet of shutdown, the fear of contagion, the chaos of violence, and the hope of uprising, it made perfect sense to make a carpenter’s level: a wish for stability, balance, and safety for everyone.

Ariel Kotker is based in Easthampton, MA