shadow dolls
Gateway's Heliport Gallery, Silver Spring MD, 2006
A small cage made of chicken wire is able to hold a folded stack of 32 identical paper doll figures that comprise a hanging mobile representing various social constructs that comprise individual identity. The dolls are cut out from a various photos of commonly recognized archetypes, life events, or social institutions showing intimate glimpses of Maray's personal experiences. Varying portions of the dictionary definition of the word 'shadow' are printed on the back of each doll to suggest less conscious aspects of human identity.
All of the doll figures are connected by one string to hang like puppets or stacked in a consistent order. The stacked figures fit in the cage which is made with one hole of equal dimensions to the figures. Exit is impossible unless all 32 figures are precisely aligned with each other and the hole. The work's title refers to the exit and is a reference to the common Christian belief that 33 was the age of Jesus' death and liberation from human constructs.