This piece was inspired by an image I saw in the film, Birdie. It struck me so deeply I took a photo of the television screen, and later found the image itself online in a poster for the movie (see gallery below, first image). I first started trying to capture the pose, which to me communicated vulnerability, wishfulness, and even a little danger. To achieve the pose, though, I needed to create a wall piece, as making it balance as a full three-dimensional sculpture was beyond me. But the result felt flat (literally!) to me, and I began to bend it off its base. I opened up the tight legs-to-chin pose, then closed it again. As I worked it in 3D, everything changed, including gender. I think the final image, while far from the original inspiration in many ways, transmits much of that same feeling to me that the original did.