Elliot Wright

“Welcome, My Son” is a dodecahedron constructed out of adhesive label maker tape, wax paper wrappers, and elements from a map of Manhattan, assembled with white thread. I drew the majority of my inspiration for this piece from my precious object and the story behind it. My special object is a 1” by 1” wooden cube that my father gave me for my high school graduation. He made it himself and presented it to me along with a letter explaining that it was a metaphor for the care he felt for me. Although I didn’t quite understand the function/significance behind this gift at the time, I was still flattered that he made something so personal for me. I’ve been thinking a lot about my dad since I moved to New York City, where he grew up before he moved the west at age 18. This historical proximity has made me feel closer to him even though he lives more than 1,000 miles away and our relationship can be quite turbulent. I was also inspired by his favorite Pink Floyd song which he played for me on my 18th birthday, Welcome to the Machine, specifically the first lyric: “Welcome, my son.” I know I wanted to create a shape that contrasted with the cube and incorporated words. I decided to create a dodecahedron out of pentagons to create the closest approximation to a sphere out of simplistic geometric forms. The longer I worked on this project, the more significant it felt for me. I felt as though my father was speaking through the object, welcoming me to New York City and my newfound adulthood.