Shannon Eakins

Shannon Eakins received a 2003 GAP to research potential materials for her sensory sculptures. “My most recent works are wind-up toys cast in precious metals. Casting the materials from unrelated existing toys, they were altered to represent specific animal movements: bobbing, swatting, pulling ears back, and lowering of the head. The work deals with the clash of human versus animal values.” With GAP funding, Eakins seeks to continue her investigations by addressing a broader range of sensory phenomena. “Sound, smell, pulse and body temperature would give a greater richness to the work because it would deal with things that animals are more likely to use to interact with one another.”