Lunar Phases

2001 
Reconstituted dinner candles, wound segment of twine, hand-dipped chocolate strawberry cream confection, recycled ox-blood shoes, aluminum, and plexiglass 
50.5" x 60" x 24"
 
The aluminum and plexiglas vitrine holds four human hearts. Each heart has anatomically accurate atria, ventricles, and aorta; arranged in the case at a slight diagonal, they are displayed at chest height. 

The first heart is sculpted out of reconstituted dinner candles. It has four hollow chambers and a bright, translucent surface. The second heart is wound from single segment of rough bailing twine; no knots were used. The chambers were wound first, followed by the rest of the structure. The third heart is a large hand-dipped chocolate confection. It's chambers, arteries, and veins, are filled with strawberry cream filling. The chocolate shell is a mixture of dark and milk chocolates. The last heart is patched together from segments cut from oxblood leather footwear, including knee-high stiletto boots and wingtip shoes. Its hollow chambers were created by stretching leather over wood, plaster, and acrylic molds.