Immortalizing the Mortal 2023
Close to Home
In Collaboration with McGill's Maude Abbott Medical Museum

A word from the artist: The first time I looked at this year’s specimen, the only thing I could think of was what it must be like to be pregnant and to be responsible for growing an entire new human being. But then I figured I have absolutely no idea what that feeling is like, and I should respect the mantra to only write about things I know. So I started to think some more about what the theme of “home” means to me. It’s obvious that home is a physical place, but home can also be found in the comfort and peace of another person. That’s a beautiful thing, but being someone else’s home can also be a lot of responsibility. Women especially are depended on to offer up security, safety, and nurturing. While I may not have ever experienced pregnancy, I definitely do know that feeling and do have an innate sense of what motherhood is. I wanted to explore the pressure of motherhood—the responsibility of a mother to be her child’s home, the oneness of a mother and her child, and also the anxiety that stems from knowing that one day that oneness will dissipate. As a woman, I know that my physical body has the capacity to nourish another being—and so I also wanted to delve into the tension—and the synergy—between the idea of home as a physical place, and of home as a more abstract feeling of safety and of wellbeing.