modern plague doctor
The artist wears a garment inspired by a plague doctor costume from the 17th Century modernized to resemble contemporary medical PPE. The fabric is printed with love letters to NYC, to those we’ve lost, to Black Lives Matter protesters, and botanical drawings of medicinal herbs such as those stuffed in the beaks of plague masks. The head-to-toe protective suit suggests a new normal of a layer of separation, but the writing visually expresses what a covered face cannot. The modern plague doctor moves along 14th street dispensing prescription cards printed with writing from the suit and information about medicinal botanicals; offering a connection to nature and each other.
