Lost Childhood Dream: Brooklyn (New York) Print

Part of a series, Lost Childhood Dreams. What does the Teddy Bear represent? Is it the naivety and aspirations of childhood dreams, like wanting to be an astronaut, or a champion athlete. In our early years such dreams of the world are as fragile as the comfort we seek from our childhood toys. What happens to those dreams when we grow older? Where do our childhood comforts end up...are they in the same place? After carving a Teddy bears skull from clay, I decided to make a mold so I could repeat the skull in plaster or casting resin. Once dry, I make each skull unique. I attach teddy bear fur, to give the bear its famous recognizable ears. Then the eyes, a nose also. In some cases i will attach a body. I will then find a place for the bear to rest in public. This place could be attached to a wall on a street, at the top of a mountain, a river , a lake, beach, or even a boy at sea. The decaying Teddy bear represents childhood hopes, dreams and aspirations, laid bare in the harshness and hopelessness of this reality, the reality that we know as adults.