Death Penalty Focus

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Like many nations, the United States has a long history of executing its prisoners, dating back to its founding settlements, which, unfortunately continues today. The focus of the Death Penalty/Gallows project is to create a sense of that historical continuity. The project consists of sculptural works, graphite drawings, publications and a planned public artwork. The sculptures are comprised of scale architectural models of seven historically significant gallows. There second set consists of various combinations of different gallows built on top of and into each other to form a single unit. In the combination models each gallows is stacked, so that the deck of the oldest is at the bottom, and each successive layer is built up chronologically. They are positioned on top of each other using the trap doors as center. One of the variations of the gallows combinations will be selected for full-scale construction in a public venue. The public will be able to climb the staircases and access the deck, hopefully spending some time reflecting on capital punishment.