Mother Substitute
C Print plus sculpture made of wood and hair
There are over 10 million Filipinos overseas, a significant percentage of whom are mothers who have had to leave their children behind in the Philippines while they work for other families abroad.
For this sculpture, I braided a pacifier out of human hair. I realized that hair had a long history of being used as a keepsake for a missing loved one. It is the one bodily part that can be cut and kept even when the beloved is gone.
The choice between family and work is not limited to overseas workers. It is an unavoidable fact for most working parents today.
