“In Tandem”

2024

Mixed Media

Bri Beck (she/her) is a mixed media artist and art therapist. As a person with a rare form of dwarfism, Bri’s art often speaks to the relationship between her body and the built environment. Further, her work speaks to how this relationship can create moments of connection or distress depending on the level of tension. In her piece, “In Tandem,” Bri considers how designed objects that are intended to assist in her access can also cause discomfort and more chronic physical issues. As someone who often utilizes a step ladder, particularly in the domestic environment, Bri must often over-exert her body to accomplish “basic” tasks in the home such as cooking a meal on the stove. Consistently navigating a built environment that’s not ergonomically sound for her body, Bri must also utilize other designed objects, including the hands of her husband and physical therapists, to manage muscle inflammation and strain in her joints. “In Tandem” is a messy love letter to designed objects. It represents the way that even essential objects can cause us a type of experience, in this case pain, that then leads us to the need for objects that restore us back to some semblance of equilibrium.