Seal in our blood

Maureen Gruben

Harp Seal Skin, red velvet, thread

Seal In Our Blood relates to the inner- and intra-workings of living beings. Extending to over thirty feet of hand-sewn intersecting bands of red velvet and sealskin, the essential form of this piece is linear—the line being a fundamental element of writing and drawing. Inuvialuit have been as dependent on seals as polar bears are; this soft, malleable sculpture elicits the constant circulation of blood within organic bodies, and describes how inextricably we rely on other lives in order to sustain this flow.