Background
Heidi Schwegler
Thick Space
Glass, lead
6 x 13 x 5 inches
2021
Quote from Gretchen Dervin (Kansas City, MO):
As a Patient Access Representative in the emergency room at St Luke's Hospital, I experienced Covid on a daily basis. Those first few months felt very alien; the space around me suddenly felt thick and our normal routines began to glitch unpredictably. I work in an environment that is based on the body, direct touch and human connection. During the pandemic however barriers popped up everywhere and every surface was instantly covered, including skin (I noticed this the most with hands and faces). The space between patients, their caregivers and their loved ones became physically, emotionally and psychologically expansive, and we had to adapt to extreme procedural changes on a daily basis. It was an intense and very alienating time that came home with me every evening. I now intimately understand that physical closeness and normalcy is critical for anyone's survival.
