Kari Langford

I Did It and Dressings were inspired by my experience with immense emotional turmoil over the last 6 months, stemming from both depression and trauma. The feelings that accompany depression are isolating, but I began to think about this hardship more as a thread, a connection between me and every other human. Every person has had a bad day whether due to a chemical imbalance, heartache or a lay off at work.  

These soft, personal bed photos and cold, harsh shells of clothing both show daily routine acts (such as getting out of bed and dressing) being repeated over a period of time. The act of documenting and preserving these occurrences elevates the mundane task in an act of celebration. The mass amount of photos show the overwhelming sense of accomplishment, through the act of continuing amongst pressure and hardship. The pictures are warm and soft, inviting the viewer to peruse the intimately personal setting. The different coloration of the photos or objects correspond to the ups and downs one feels while in the depths of depression, the feeling of being on a nauseating roller coaster.  

The clothing objects show both a closeness through the detail of the fabric while also showing a sense of detachment through the pristine removal of the self with the clay material and glaze. These objects are memorialized and frozen in time, grasping onto that instant they were thrown from the body. Both of these pieces attempt to simplify the effects of despondency and link the artist and the viewer in a sort of comradery, a friendship formed through shared experience.