Hell in a Handbasket

2020

9” x8” x 8”

Wicker basket, Paper wasp nests, Assorted animal teeth


I remember one day in my undergraduate class, I was talking about unique teeth shapes to my classmates, specifically disussing beaver teeth. My classmate, having never seen a beaver skull before, asked me to bring one in.

As soon as she flipped it over she saw the flat coils of the rodent’s molars and grimaced.

”I don’t know why, but… I really want to punch it. Like, punch it to dust. Like it shouldn’t exist.”

We ended up talking about Trypophobia (the fear of repeating patterns, specifically holes and things inside them), and called her mom after class saying “It has a name! Trypophobia! We’re not just being weird!”
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2020 has been an intensely difficult year for many, myself included. Between the pandemic and subsequent life developments it’s been incredibly complicated.

I wanted to create a piece that evokes a sense of fear and disgust. These elements came together into a piece that is meant to be carried, but who in their right mind would carry this handbasket around?