A Nightmare Machine

Artist Statement: My creation is a visualization of a nightmare I had as a child. Made of ceramics, it is designed after an excavator but one made of the creepy things people typically associate with fear. My father works in construction, so I have been familiar with excavators and other heavy machinery for a while. However, when I was little I had a nightmare where an excavator came alive, tore apart my house, and attacked me. The excavator in my dream didn’t look particularly creepy but I decided to create my excavator with different pieces of typical horror elements to help visualize how horrifying the excavator made me feel. The excavator took many weeks to sculpt, the hardest part being the arm, as it was very fragile and prone to breaking. In the end it turned out quite well, and is a perfect visual to the terror a nightmare can create.