Thermal Comfort Device is a series of photographs that explores love in the age of disconnect. I have created a device that is designed to provide the warmth of a surrogate lover. This intensely personal space is the setting in which I photograph a variety of subjects with my device. These photographs raise questions regarding the manner in which luxury products are marketed. Similar to the images in the travel section of the newspaper of couples holding hands and kissing on the beach, these images depict relationships as a physical object towards desire.

I have selected from a cross section of society - men and women of various ages and ethnicities who sleep alone - in order to reveal how contemporary culture is marked by loneliness and self-absorption. The impetus for Thermal Comfort Device is to provoke viewers into thinking about their own relationships.

Heather, 2003
Concept drawing for Thermal Comfort Device
10” x 8”

Roland, (1 of 16) 2003
16 x 48 inches mounted on rolled aluminum
Roland 29, Boston based curator, artist, designer and dreamer.
Photo: John Horner

Jaya, (2 of 16) 2003
19 x 48 inches mounted rolled aluminum

Jaya 33, single mother, dreams of the desert, studies ayurveda, collects dresses & bollywood films, plays Walton’s theme Song on the dulcimer
Photo: John Horner

Phase I
Fabrication (11/02 - 10/03)
Materials: aluminum, stainless steel, quartz glass, ceramic, nickel-chromium wireDescription: Six horizontal adjustable heating zones to match one’s profile while sleeping alone in bed.

Phase II
Still Photography Shoot / Output of Images (10/2003 – 9/2004)
Subjects: Men & women of various ages and ethnicities (25-65) who sleep alone regularly. Digital archival prints approximately 16 x 48 inches / close ups / life size.Subjects write a short 2 - 4 sentence description about themselves that will accompany each image. Images are mounted on rolled aluminum, similar to the curve of the heater, matching the curvature of the body.
• Series runs 16 total subjects, with an edition of 16 prints per subject.

Phase III
Viewing Forums (10/2004)
Thermal Comfort Device, images and text will be shown in high-end stores, displayed above a bed or in the window during winter months. The viewer is to stumble onto this work. Phase III is essential to completing the cycle of advertising / consumption / loneliness.BARNEYS NEW YORK: Chestnut Hill - Boston, Ma Confirmed for October 2004, by Simon Doonan, creative director of BARNEYS

Phase IV
Gallery Exhibition (projected 2005 +)

Phase V
Photography Shoot for high-end advertisements (projected 2005 +)