Better Safe Than Sorry

This piece was made for the project Made In Contact which I initiated and produced in collaboration with Bonny Nahmias and with the support of Asylum Arts.

Better Safe Than Sorry is a costume baby’s crib sheet I created in response to a few conversations I had with Bonny Nahmias, during which she showed me several of her projects in which she uses the symbol to ward off the evil eye. I’m not a big believer in superstitions, but do respect the fact that everyone uses stories and belief systems to make sense of their lives and the world. The polarity and range of approaches to this pandemic is one example. My second child was born 5 months before the shelter-in-place started in the US in February 2020. I had a very hard time dealing with the stress of the unknown and being locked down with an energetic preschooler and a baby. I felt that whatever happens I, as an adult, will find a way to deal with it, but how do I protect the physical and emotional health of my kids? For this work, I designed a pattern consisting of 28 symbols of prosperity and against evil forces and printed them on fabric from which I sewed baby sheets. As the French philosopher Pascal argued, from a logical standpoint, it makes more sense to believe in God, because if one does exist, well then you’re in the right, and if they don’t, well then, no harm done.