Sculpture

Both before and after 9/11, Swedish-American conceptual artist Michele Pred earned income working as a limo driver, frequently transporting passengers to and from the airport. In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, she heard a marked increase in complaints about the intense security checks travelers now confronted and the frequent confiscation of newly prohibited items. She became intrigued with the transformation of ubiquitous household items into perceived threats according to the Transportation Security Administration’s list of banned carry-on objects and substances.  

Pred decided to collect some of these ownerless and outlawed objects from the airports where they had been confiscated and turn them into site-specific installations. This assemblage is comprised of scissors, bottle openers, screwdrivers, and other small items seized at the San Francisco International Airport, the intended destination of Flight 93 before the aircraft was hijacked on September 11. Pred’s London Stack addresses contemporary issues surrounding government restrictions, nationalism, security, invasion of privacy, and civic vulnerability.