RIAL RYE
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    • The 1280 Foot Gap
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THE 1,280 FOOT GAP

2025. 12'x6'x6". Carved Wood, Spotlights, 1,280 Ft. of High-Viz Mason Line.​
​Permanent Collection at The Goat Farm Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
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STATEMENT
The space between these two shores is not empty. It is a grave.

Carved from wood, the coastlines of West Africa and the Americas face one another, framing the vast emptiness of the Atlantic—the site of the Middle Passage. Woven across this void are 1,280 feet of high-visibility mason line. This specific length is a direct citation of labor law: 1,280 feet is the minimum distance at which a color must be viewed to be officially classified as a "safety" color by OSHA standards.

Here, the language of industrial safety is used to chart a history of profound danger. Each strand represents a voyage and a life, forming a glowing scar—a monument to the two million who died on the journey and the invisible labor of the millions who were trafficked. The work refuses to look away; it utilizes the color of caution to illuminate a wound, forcing the viewer to stand witness to the ghosts held in the space between.


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  • Bio and Statement
  • Recent Projects
    • Recent Works
    • The 1280 Foot Gap
    • Pink Pedestal
  • CV