Self-Restraint,
Video performance, 2014

My performance Self-Restraint reveals the internal struggle that marks my daily life as a woman and as a carer. I begin by tying a rope around my torso, wrapping it tightly around my body four times and binding my own hands so I cannot escape its grip. The act is self-inflicted, self-imposed, and self-determined. It reflects the complex boundaries between self-care and self-restraint, and the ways care for others can sometimes lead to personal sacrifice or limitation. I can choose to unwrap myself, or I can tighten the rope and fight against its restraint. I pull as tightly as I can until I am exhausted. Finally, I release myself from the rope and let it fall to the floor.