Surreal Art

When there is an immediate, obvious threat, it’s easy to use fear as a fuel. If there is a step to be taken, emotion can mobilize you to act.

But when the threat is chronic, insidious, undefined, fear can be paralyzing. Where is the danger coming from? When will it appear? At any time, my brain tells me. Which is to say, all the time.

If I found myself inside a suction canister, I would panic. Little me would be torn apart by the powerful vacuum drawing debris from the surgical site. Or maybe I’d drown first, in this plastic container designed for blood, fluid and waste.

I hope my body would fight back, kicking at the plastic until it cracked, de-pressurizing the canister. Maybe it would leak and the leak wouldn’t go unnoticed. I might be saved by an attentive nurse.

I might be saved by myself.