Women on the Edge of Time

ROSE DELER

Aluminum Coat No. 2

2019, Mylar, elastic, yarn, wire  26” H x 23” L x 6” W

This sculpture is part of a collection titled Aluminum Coat, child-sized clothing made out of Mylar space “blankets”. Here I explore warmth as it pertains to the emotional state of a child that has been separated from their parent and detained on the southern border of the United States. They are given a mylar “blanket” which according to its label it can retain up to 90% of body heat but can it keep a lonely and scared child warm. I think of Charlie Brown’s friend Linus, who carries his blanket everywhere and I wonder would this cozy image be the same had the blanket been a shiny space-aged crinkly thing? The Oxford Dictionary defines a “blanket” – A large piece of woolen or similar material used as a covering on a bed or elsewhere for warmth. These child-sized mylar clothing hang from a wool-covered hanger; wool cover metal, metal cover child.

Video Short by ROSE DELER