As each person maps aspects of their identity they will leave a line- their mark on the drawing.  Complex portraits develop as simple statements are linked together. Anyone coming later will be able to trace other participants' paths. 

As more and more people add their lines, patterns will emerge, and a tapestry of human identity will form which is specific to the particular time, place, and people.

Artist's reflections-

Just as before, it was startling to see how intensely people reacted to the piece, even to the point of tears in some cases. I heard all of the things I had hoped for- that it caused deep reflection and catharsis, that they felt connected to other people, that they questioned their lives, their definitions, their relationships with their experiences and each other.

What I did not expect was that once the yarn was all gone and there was no space left that people steadily continued to walk through the piece, pointing to each statement they would have marked, talking through it with friends and strangers. I even found a piece of string that I did not put out there, that someone added on their own.

There were statements that were much more trafficked at the music festival than at the Alchemy show- "Music moves me." is perhaps unsurprising, but "I love my family" was also extremely well covered. Some, such as "I have been raped" were extremely sparse compared to the Alchemy show (was it a less safe feeling atmosphere I wonder?). Others were consistent in every version, including the test. For example: "I am fortunate" continued to have nearly every thread through it.

This piece continues to surprise me, and I am eager to try new iterations of it. This iteration is being kept as a completed piece, preserved as an artifact of the particular time, place and people that shaped it.

About the Materials:

This iteration of the installation included over 200 statement plaques, with several adjustments from the previous iteration.

Statement plaques are made of laser-cut acrylic with a small paper label similar to the "hello my name is" labels. Statements were inspired by conversations with strangers, psychology profile tests, online profiles and many other things people use to identity themselves and others.

The artist personally dyed nearly 300 colors of yarn in addition to several existing colors so that each participant could have their own unique color.

A variety of different yarns were used, all single-ply natural wool selected for a variety of texture and thickness, and for softness in the hand.

The installation measures 16 feet in length.