2010 - Unavailable

There is something deeply disturbing, yet grotesquely beautiful about early deep-sea diving suits, particularly their metal helmets. I am simultaneously troubled and fascinated by their sinister, humanoid shape, which resembles a giant mechanical monster. Until it moves it is hard to differentiate between an empty and an occupied suit. This impression of emptiness is so suggestive that it is frightening. The thought of being alone in the same room with such a contraption makes me uneasy, but the notion of being inside one at the bottom of a cold, dark ocean is even more terrifying.

At first I considered constructing a full deep-sea suit for this doll, but then discarded everything but the helmet. I wanted to juxtapose the vulnerability of naked skin with the protectiveness of a metal helmet to create a sense of tension and discomfort in the viewer.