2011 / In much of my work, death has been my silent companion in the studio. But after nearly a decade of intensive work about 
the Holocaust, I felt the urge to record the force of life—even as my entry into middle age foregrounded the vulnerability of my own body. The Life Jacket, with its vibrant patterns of cells, neurons, and chromosomes on the outside, acknowledges in its heart-red interior that everything that lives must change and die. The piece celebrates life not despite, but because of, the frailty of our bodies: we are miraculous creatures. The way to honor those whom we lost is to appreciate the lives which we are privileged to live now.

The fabrics in this piece are all patterns I created using microscopy images, and the interior text is hand-embroidered, and reads:

I am of the nature to grow old.

There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health.

There is no way to escape having ill health.

I am of the nature to die.

There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love

are the nature to change.

Thich Nhat Hanh