Ashley+SmIth

Heavy Burden

This sculpture represents a person's strengths and responsibilities. What are you responsible for? From the start of your day, what things go through your mind? Are you strong minded? Everyone has some burden they have to bear. The viewer is asked to to visualise an object that is a representation of something that is constantly on their mind. Now imagine if each thought took up an actual space in your mind? What shapes would outline your mind? would they be big and bulky or would they be small and. rigid Think of your responsibilities actually weighing down on your shoulders. Would your responsibilities be heavy? Would they actually weigh you down? how well do your responsibilities and thoughts fit together? Do you have to work hard to fit all of them in? All in all if thoughts were actual objects what would your mind look like. To make this sculpture I took objects that represented everything that goes through my mind: my son, my responsibilities, my memories, my addictions, my dreams, my secrets. None of these things are related to each other; I am the only connection. These objects made the form of my sculpture. When you look at this sculpture you are looking at my mind. If you put my sculpture on you will feel the burden that sometimes overpowers me. Sometimes I am controlled by my mind and this you may also feel. By looking at it you will not be able to point out my thoughts because they are still being covered; you can guess what is hidden in the mind of a human but you will never know what lies beneath the surfaces. What does your burden look like?