Monday, November 14, 2011

OPEN HEARTS: The Series Continues




In the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, I found myself desperate to find something meaningful to work on... When I first envisioned the Open Hearts as a numbered series, I intended to make them as a tribute to all those who died that day. One thing I remember so vividly is the repetition of numbers of people who died... Thousands of people... and the numbers kept changing as more information came in. Each one was a unique individual. So I decided that each of the Hearts that I made would be different. And my original intention was to make a series that numbered the same as the number who died... I think it was almost 3,000 people.

I made Hearts throughout the next couple of years... I found that they were very meaningful for people. I think making all those Open Hearts changed me in some ways. It also helped me to remember to keep an open heart.

In the past year, I have picked up where I left off with the series. I may never make it to the actual number of people who were lost to us that day... I think the important thing is they are part of who I am and they mean a lot to people.