2022

Performance, drawing, print
Full body edge measurements at 4 levels of magnification plus calculations after measuring my body’s edge with a measuring tape, inkjet and pencil on paper, 24” x 72” / performance, composted soil remains of Tina L. Urso-McDaniel, pencil, glue on paper, 41.5” x 78.5″

Measuring the Coastline – full body edge measurements at 4 levels of magnification plus calculations after measuring my body’s edge with a measuring tape

Losing my sister—my closest family member—was one of the hardest experiences I’ve ever had, forcing me to look closer at myself, my relationships and life itself. I remember reading that in fractal geometry, the closer you view a subject like a coastline, the longer that edge becomes. Theoretically, the coastline is infinitely long. I theorized that on closer inspection of my own edges, I would see infinite growth. I took photos of my full body at increasing levels of magnification, piecing them together then generating a path in Photoshop that could be measured in Illustrator and compared by measuring percentage increase. The absurd results put numbers to the internal changes that this profound grief brought on me.

Measuring the Coastline – full-size body edge

For the companion piece to this full-body print, I wanted to get a somewhat accurate sense of the edges of my body. So I laid down on wet-glued paper and had my partner sift my sister’s composted remains around my body’s edge.