PHANTOM LIMB
Fabric and rope, 18’ x 24’, 2011
Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Inspired by the medical phenomenon- phantom limb, this installation was created in response to the feverish pace of redevelopment in Halifax, NS. Phantom limb is a condition where a patient with an absent or amputated limb continues to feel the painful sensation of the missing appendage. In recent years, a ‘mirror box’ technique has been employed to project a remaining limb into the site of the missing limb. This visual trickery immediately relieves the patient of this phantom pain. Similarly, this project seeks to resurrect a non-specific, vernacular building back into the urban core of a city that has many deep architectural voids. 

This work was installed temporarily as a part of Nocturne: Art at Night

In 2019, Phantom Limb was exhibited as a part of the touring exhibition Maud Lewis and the Nova Scotia Terroir curated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This work was exhibited at the Guangdong Museum of Art and the He Xiangning Art Museum in China.

Thanks to

  • The skillful and generous help of Loretta Migani who assisted in the sewing and construction of Phantom Limb

  • Carmen Zinck of Coastal Restoration and Masonry

  • My father, Chuck Young who will always climb a tree to help me realize an art project.