Lisa Brunet
Snake’s Head Fritillary/Light Cocoon, 2024
Plastic, LEDs, aluminum, steel, electrical components
"Be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves," the ancient words instruct. As a naturally transparent person from a subculture that values authenticity above all, I have learned to speak less, to guard more, and through repeated experience, how to tell which thoughtless strangers and acquaintances are safe to engage, and which are not worth answering as they hiss hateful ableist comments or shout abuse at me for using different devices on different days. This Snake's Head Fritillary flower (fritillaria meleagris) becomes a safe place, a translucent cocoon that protects the viewer's head as they place their head in the flower, that responds to the viewer by surrounding them with brilliant light.
Please feel free to sit on the stool and place your head in the flower. Use the stool's lever to raise or lower it to fit you.
About:
Minerva Maximilian is the artist name of Lisa Brunet, a TexiCaliYorker who fell madly in love with metal sculpture in 2000 during her first forge, foundry, and fabrication classes in the San Francisco area, then studied briefly at the Art Student’s League in New York, and began making more interactive work at the University of North Texas. After surviving a pedestrian hit-and-run that disabled her, she focuses her work on trauma, the healing process, and odd aspects of life with disability.
Instagram: @lisambrunet