“Suits Me”
Working over the years as an artist I have cycled through a number of ideas and images repeatedly. I make things with my hands. I look at them over a period of time. I make adjustments until they are right. Itʼs a sort of antique indulgence that keeps me centered and disciplined. It helps me find meaning, and itʼs really a lot of fun. An image that I have cycled through repeatedly is that of the business suit. In1988 the first suit, “Buck” was fabricated by sewing $1 bills together. He was then hung over a lightweight armature so that the suit itself appeared to be occupied and empty at the same time implying an invisible figure. From 2001-2003, I made a series of $1 Bill suits in various poses, standing, pledging, flying, dying, etc. They were all over life size and were constructed with$1 bill skins over steel mesh armatures. They appeared to contain an invisible figure. However, all the functional and feeling parts of the occupant were obviously absent. There were no “guts”, no heart, no arms or legs, no head, no brain, and so forth. They couldnʼt do anything. They couldnʼt feel anything. These automaton suits symbolized the material world of possessions, commerce, law, politics, and so forth. Also, being absent their functional and feeling parts, the inner void begged the question of the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual nature of life.
Ken Little 2003
