Carry That Weight: Materializing the Invisible
Carry That Weight is a sculptural work from my ongoing series, Bodily Dysfunction, which explores the relationship between mental health, sensory experience, and the body. The series investigates how invisible psychological and neurological experiences can be translated into physical form, challenging conventional ideas of what it means for a body or mind to function. Rather than viewing dysfunction as deficiency, the work considers it as a lived condition that shapes perception, identity, and everyday experience.
This piece centers on the symbolic act of carrying. A disembodied hand extends from the wall, supporting a cluster of enlarged blood cell platelets that represent both healing and burden. Platelets are essential to the body's ability to repair itself, but within this work they also become metaphors for emotional labor, resilience, and the invisible weight of navigating mental health. Red thread wraps around the hand and fingers, suggesting tension, connection, and restraint. The gesture of the hand remains intentionally ambiguous. It may be offering the platelets to the viewer, protecting them, or simply struggling to bear their weight.
Carry that Weight - Detail
Mixed Media, 3D Printed Filament, and Dyed Thread
Ryan Dee Nevill
Spring 2026
Like the rest of Bodily Dysfunction, the work draws inspiration from medical imagery and the body's hidden architecture. X-rays and anatomical structures provide a formal vocabulary that informs both the composition and surface of the sculpture. Rather than recreating anatomy literally, I abstract these references to explore the relationship between the visible body and the internal experiences that often remain unseen.
The process of creating Carry That Weight combined digital fabrication with traditional sculptural techniques. The hand was CNC routed from rigid foam to establish its scale and overall form before being refined with plaster gauze and drywall compound. These materials create a skin-like surface that records each stage of the making process while emphasizing fragility and vulnerability. Every blood cell platelet was individually modeled and 3D printed, then finished with paint and resin to achieve a deep, translucent red surface. Producing each platelet separately allowed them to be arranged organically within the hand, creating a form that feels simultaneously biological and abstract.
Installation was an important consideration throughout the project. A custom French cleat was built into the sculpture, allowing it to mount securely to the wall while maintaining the illusion that the hand emerges directly from the architecture. This presentation reinforces the tension between support and suspension, inviting viewers to consider the emotional, physical, and psychological burdens we carry but rarely make visible.
Click the button to see more works within the Bodily Dysfunction Series.
