The Puppet Master

My cardboard sculpture features two large hands resting on my shoulders as they hold a marionette puppet. The scale of the hands is enlarged to connote power and control, while the puppet is shrunken (0.25% my size) as a sign of subordination and inferiority. The puppet master, shown only through the two hands, masks their identity from the puppet and the viewer, maintaining anonymity and authority. Meanwhile, the marionette puppet's entire body is on display in a static position, limiting its control and stripping it of any agency. As a sculptural piece on my own body, I bear the weight of the hands on my shoulders while they are on display for the viewer. Resultingly, the piece becomes an autobiographical work that showcases feelings of mental constraint in a society that places pressure on young adults to succeed. However, the piece simultaneously mimics those internal thoughts by placing physical pressure and discomfort on my body.