Lawrence University
Student Art in the Library

Artist: Jordan Burnett
Title: Cradle
Date: March 2002

Artist's Statement:
Call me a big baby, if you like. But as the end of the term approaches, I'm feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, and definitely unmotivated. All I want to do is curl up and sleep. Sleep is an escape. Curl up, hunker down, pull the blanket over my head, maybe when I wake up things will be better. Or at least I'll have gained some perspective with the mini-hiatus that a nap can provide. Though the cradle is large and ungainly, there's something comforting in an adult-sized cradle. The Shakers used to build large cradles to put in their infirmaries, which is really quite practical. The security and comfort of walls on all sides and gentle rocking hearken back to childhood. Cradles connote soothing and relaxation, a simpler lifestyle that appeals to me.

The intent of this project is to create a little bit of respite in a form that would elicit similar responses to that of a baby in a (small) cradle. I built this cradle for me, primarily, but I'm not the only one who would prefer to sleep through finals, so I invite people to take a break. Take a nap, curl up, hunker down. While this little interlude will not make all our problems go away, it might provide a necessary diversion. If anything, I'm hoping there will be some comic value in people laying down in a monstrous cradle in the middle of the library during finals week.

PLEASE REMOVE YOUR SHOES BEFORE GETTING IN.