For the past 18 months, I have been collecting material remnants of the body (including hair, dust, and lint) from friends, family, and acquaintances across the United States as part of my project, Our Collective Body. I work with these materials to create site-specific sculptures and installations that examine our material waste in relation to the body, space, and form. I often use video and photography to document the ephemeral nature of my daily actions and artistic gestures.

Recently, I have begun to incorporate new items into my collection, including leaves, tree bark, and other materials that are a part of cyclical processes of decay and regrowth for plants. The expansion of my collection focuses on materials that evince a state of becoming (similar to our bodily waste). I have also been gathering materials by the riverside including driftwood, Styrofoam, and other objects turned over by the water’s tide. The Styrofoam begins to look like rock formations and the driftwood becomes light and smooth. I collect these materials while walking along the river; I am fascinated with walking as an embodiment of becoming.

http://rebeccavolinsky.com