Idol Hands

In 2008, Mac created Idol Hands as a meditation on loved ones afflicted with cancer and the fragility of life in the face of technology. This installation was comprised of two sculpted styrofoam hands made from salvaged boatyard debris with shish-kebob spears, enamel paint with x-ray collage on plexiglass, and a refurbished medical cabinet.

Idol Hands was first exhibited at the Velvet Mill, in Stonington, Connecticut. Each hand weighed approximately 50 lbs. and was entirely pieced together with wooden spears. In the months that followed, various pieces and new compositions were later featured at exhibitions in New London (CT) and Providence (RI).

“The moment I saw all of that styrofoam going to the trash I know I needed to do something with it,” says Mac. “Creating these gigantic transformer hands was really healthy for me. It helped me process the difficult decisions we sometimes have to make, or that are made for us by others, about what is shared and what is perceived as “a burden” of knowledge. Personally, I would always rather know.”