“Out of Society, Out of Mine”
Materials: wool, cotton, and acrylic yarns; felt; craft paper; fabric; wire; felt pens, hot glue
For many of us whose lives are unaffected (directly) by the existence of prisons, it’s easy to forget about the reality of them; as they’re generally built in remote areas, even when exposed to facts and figures about skyrocketing numbers and ill treatment, once the broadcast ends or we finish the article, there exists no reminder or accountability to act. This is by design.
Paradoxically, the mere existence of prisons, Davis points out, is reaffirmed by its representation in popular media. By our constant exposure to prison scenes in movies and television, most of us never consider asking, “They exist, but do they need to?”
Thus, we assume prisons are a fact of life and turn a blind eye, allowing disproportionate imprisonment of Black and brown people, imprisoned people’s labor to be exploited, often to leave them without proper medical care, and to rob them of their rights.
Out of sight, out of mind. The art piece is a crocheted tube. On one face, a stark edifice with dark windows: the prison. Unassuming, unwelcoming. Turned inside out, all the issues we try to keep out of focus emerge. The issue of ethnicity is represented in the literal fabric of the prison in this piece; an X covers the red cross; a paved road cuts through; a film counts down to start; a prisoner is rewarded with an “I DIDN’T VOTE” sticker; and of course, a pair of white eyes are closed. “Out of Society, Out of Mine”. The removal and erasure of individuals from the society at large.