FAQ

Why are they all female?

For 40+ years, I have lived in a body that has breasts and is generally recognized as female. That's the only kind of body I know anything about living in.

How long does it take to make them?

Short answer: at least 40 hours of physical work.

Slightly less short answer: they're a by-product of some other process, so long periods of time pass without any physical work happening. It can take years to finish a sculpture.

Where did you learn how to do this?

I learned the technique of making wire baskets from Ellen Wieske in 2002, at a weekend. Then I went back to my regularly scheduled life (I used to own a commercial building, and it occupied a lot of my time). One day a couple of years later, I said to my therapist that I felt like I had a wire cage inside me. She looked at me like I had two heads. The next day it occurred to me that maybe I could make a wire basket in the shape of a female torso. I bought a mannequin and used it as a form to build the basket.

I thought it would be a one-time thing. It wasn't. It was the beginning of me having to call myself an artist, and the end of my work with that therapist.

How much do they cost?

They are very cheap, material-wise. Time-wise, they are priceless and not for sale.