Disposable . . .
The child begins to perceive the world not only through his eyes but also through his speech.
Lev Vygotsky (1896 - 1934)
In this work, Disposable, I am calling attention to the lost moments of language opportunities over over the past 21 months. As a mother and educator I am keenly aware of the critical roll that facial expression and direct conversation plays in the roll of the child’s development in speaking, reading and writing at a young age. Maria Montessori refers to the period of birth to eight years old, as the “sensitive period” for language, as children move from hearing to speaking onto reading and writing the printed word. The mirroring of another individual and reading facial expressions are essential to this process for the child. As the child mimics the pronunciation and expression of the teacher, the teacher also assesses the child’s progress and ability to hear and understand the teaching through hearing and seeing the correct pronunciation of the language, by the child. Those children that are not able to pronounce language accurately, in a typical academic setting, are given extra support, to make sure their hearing and understanding are not delayed. Over these past 21 months, this type of assessment has been interrupted due to the necessity of mask wearing. Language for the young child is learned through one meaningful moment at time. In this exhibit, I reference these lost moments of language development, with over 600 porcelain masks, representing each day in the life of a child over these past 21 months. No two of the discarded masks are alike, representing the unique developmental opportunities that might have occurred in a child’s day. One experience is never exactly the same when individuals communicate. The squares underneath the masks, measure 2’x 2’, reminding us of the social distancing required and isolation that ensues.
Will we have a plan of support for the potentially 25 million children in the US alone, that have experienced this isolation during their formative years for language development? Will we remember?
