The Gilded Cage

Stephen F Austin State University, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Student Center Theatre and Twilight Ballroom

My process begins with an idea, the content of the piece. The Gilded Cage depicts human beings’ tendency to recede within - or “cage” - themselves when faced with the world’s perceived afflictions and villains. However, in doing this, they are also kept from life’s splendor. The Gilded Cage is an installation work that creates an atmosphere. I used cage iconography and imagery to convey the intangible space which people construct as internal spaces of protection. The metallic luster and sumptuousness of the liquid gold leaf juxtaposed against the blood-red microcrystalline wax enhances the piece’s tension and duality. The gilding vainly attempts to justify the cages’ protective intentions, failing to suppress the severe harm the cages inevitably inflict. Importantly, the cages have no locks, and the keys surrounding them represent individuals’ insistence on the impossibility of escape.