Fiber-based items inducted into the Collective Cover project are randomly found along roadways or in the environment by the artist and generous colleagues. When found, Members are photographed in place (when possible), then methodically numbered - the number modeled after the U.S. Social Security number. The object is then re-photographed, as in a “mug shot” with it’s assigned number. In addition, meticulous records have been kept of daily headlines, pop culture, personal events, and phases of the moon. These records serve to mark the specific moment in time that each Member is “born”, (i.e. found), thereby creating a new history for each item — a "Constructed Archive".

Through "processing", Members are carefully fitted and shrouded in white canvas. Then, their embroidered number, along with an associated QR code tag, are attached to each Member. The shroud fully encases the Member, denying visual access to the full details of the object, unless the viewer chooses to investigate further thru a smart phone link with the QR code tags or through this website.

Though it may be dirty, torn, faded, and even smelly — at the moment the decision is made to collect an item and make it a Member, its insignificance instantly morphs into significance as each item conjures imagined stories of its origins, human connections and history.

The intent of this work is to reflect that each of us carries the story, experience and history of all of those from whom we’ve been born – families, communities, and societies. We all embody a repository — having embedded within our bodies and our psyche a unique set of circumstances, the effects of which are both known and unknown. Living by sheer circumstance through events large and small, over time we envelope ourselves, consciously and unconsciously with the shroud of our cultural influences.