zzzz
zzzz was a drawing project I began on May 4, 2021, a few months after my first daughter was born. Each drawing was made while she was taking a nap. To determine how the drawing would be made, I flipped a coin. If it landed on heads, the negative space was black. If it landed on tails, the negative space was white. The project had the following parameters:
- A nap is a drawing session. Only one drawing could be made during a session. Multiple drawings could be made each day.
- Drawing began once my daughter fell asleep. If she woke up before I started, then I missed my opportunity to make a drawing.
- Each drawing is labeled on the back with the date, the time I finished, and number in the series.
- After I completed each drawing, they were placed in a wooden box. The interior length of the box is 19 inches long, which corresponds to my daughter's height at birth. The project ended when drawings could no longer fit into the box.
zzzz concluded on November 2, 2023, and consists of 1,232 drawings. On average I was making 3-4 drawings a day at the beginning of the project, and 1 drawing per day near the end. This corresponded with my daughter's sleep schedule, which fluctuated over the course of two years. At the end of the project I sealed the box. The final piece is a block of time that captures the beginning of my daughter's life.
The box was constructed by Trappist Caskets of New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa.
