4642-2016 Chandelier Sculpture

4642-2016

4642-2016 is a chandelier-like installation created in response to the 4,642 heroin and opioid overdose deaths recorded in Pennsylvania in 2016. Composed of 4,642 clear glassine baggies, each filled with a crystal bead, the work transforms a symbol of drug distribution into a memorial for lives lost.

Montgomery County Community College West Campus Fine Art Gallery, Pottstown, PA

Suspended from over 200 hand-strung monofilament lines within a wooden frame, the piece catches light while carrying the weight of grief, repetition, and scale. Originally created for the Art of Recovery exhibition at Montgomery County Community College, the work later evolved into 5535-2017 as overdose deaths continued to rise.

Exhibition

Originally exhibited in Art of Recovery at Montgomery County Community College, West Campus Fine Art Gallery, Pottstown, Pennsylvania. 

Education and Awareness about the heroin epidemic and addiction

Materials

Clear glassine baggies, crystal beads, monofilament line, mesh grid, wood frame.

Process

Over 200 hanging lines were hand assembled, each supporting crystal-filled baggies that together total 4,642 units.

Filling baggies with crystals
Untangling the lines
Patrick framing 4642

As the number of opioid and heroin-related deaths rose in 2017, 4,642 became 5,535. This shift led to the creation of 5535–2017, which was included in the Art of the State exhibition in Harrisburg, where it received First Prize for Sculpture and the Purchase Prize Award. The work is now part of the permanent collection of the The State Museum of Pennsylvania.