Keeley H – "That" Installation

 01/25/26:

Initial Idea and Sketches:

I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted this installation to be human scale or mini, and I finally decided on human scale. I think the impact is there, at least for me. I haven't personally been in the meat locker of a butcher shop, and I'm not sure how many others have, but I fully intend to do research and visit one to get the details right. I want to place my audience in that space. The cold and sterile environment with the trace amounts of blood and violence that don't ever go away, no matter how many times that room is scrubbed and rinsed down. Instead of using fully recognizable female bodies for the figure, I only want the feet to convey what is actually happening.  I want the entire room covered in clear plastic sheets, and for the viewer to have to walk through a visual and physical boundary of "sterile" plastic strips before getting all the details. 

There are so many different kinds of meat hooks online, and I could either buy them or have them made. I think my decision will depend on my timing, but they really shouldn't take too long to fabricate. Each form will have recognizable feet, and I was trying to find ways to make them symbolize female bodies, but maybe they don't. We have so much violence against people in general in this country that it could be anyone hanging there. Maybe some have heels, or some have painted toenails. I don't know exactly, but I'll find out as soon as I start making. After the feet, I just want the feeling of carnage. Of dripping. Of weight and destruction. 

Artist Inspiration:

Tamara Kovianovsky:

"Tropical Abattoir"

Teresa Kovianovsky's work is so beautiful. When I first stumbled across her work I was in awe for at least an hour. I really suggest visiting her website (which I do have linked) and viewing the rest of her work because this is just the beginning. Her use of fabric and patterns to create such grotesque and also beautiful renditions of meat and animal bodies is fascinating. I want to cry and throw up while looking at them, but also cuddle up to them because they look so huggable? How can those two visceral reactions coexist? I don't know, but this work encapsulates it. 

Tara Kennedy:

"Hope Emerging"

Tara Kennedy has been a massive inspiration for my work the last couple years which is why she keeps appearing in my artist inspiration list. I find her use of color and fabric/fiber to be so inspiring, and I hope to one day achieve a semblance of this in my work. I also enjoy the knots and texture added to some of her work as a way to give visual interest and keep the eye moving. 

Feasibility & Scope Questions to Consider

• This is a strong and serious direction. As you move forward, I want you to think carefully about what is realistically buildable within the time and resources available.

• Ask yourself:

  • How many hanging forms are truly necessary to create the intended atmosphere?

  • What is the minimum number that still communicates weight, repetition, and presence?

  • Which elements must be physically built, and which can be implied through space, light, or restraint?

• Consider the labor involved in:

  • fabricating the hooks

  • constructing the hanging forms

  • installing plastic sheeting safely and cleanly

  • managing weight, balance, and attachment

  • de-installation and clean-up
    How much of this can be completed confidently within the timeline?

• Think about where simplification might strengthen the work:

  • Would fewer forms intensify the experience?

  • Could one area carry the most visual weight while others recede?

  • Where does restraint create more tension than accumulation?

• I encourage you to identify one or two elements that are essential to the concept, and treat everything else as negotiable.

• This project doesn’t need to be maximal to be powerful. Focus on clarity, control, and what the viewer encounters in the space rather than the total amount produced.