Theresa Keefe

 Theresa Keefe

Momento Mori

steel, foil, fabric, paint

30"x 12" x 12"

This piece was sort of just an amalgamation of what I learned this past semester in sculpture. It is a combination of welding, bending steel, presentation, planning, working with new materials, and in the end having the project not at all what I imagined it would be. By creating the body at home during my concussion, I was limited to what was around my house. I was planning on covering it with plaster or a more solid shell, however, as the foil was peeling up, I went with the material instead of going against it. The flaking skin of the foil present a sort of temporary outward appearance, a sort of slow bodily decay. Even if someone were to try to cover or pause this process with money, it only emphasizes this decay. The steel rib cage represents a sort of aura that people give off, on one hand protecting the body as a shield, on the other sort, it signifies this flowing present knowledge of the living body. The green fabric radiates elegance and simplicity in such a way that it just falls off the form onto the podium below. This coverage of the form in the fabric symbolizes that people cannot just try to fake the presence, the aura, they have, no matter how much they try. The duality between the cheap looking foil and the expensive cloth speaks more toward influencers or celebrities who try to fake their persona in order to be perceived a certain way. However, everyone has the same skeleton, the same ribs that protect, making us human and ever aware of our mortality. The foil roses speak to these same lengths, a symbol of beauty, but also acts as a momento mori.