The Diamond Cutter

In 2012, I was diagnosed with scoliosis and ankylosing spondylitis, with my spine curving 60 degrees to the right, causing persistent pain. In 2017, corrective surgery straightened my spine using steel pins from neck to coccyx. While the curvature was corrected, the pain remains, profoundly affecting my life. This project channels that pain and memory through a mixed media installation with mechanical sculptures and projections. I incorporate scanned X-rays, hospital photos, and images of my family and doctors as tangible records of my trauma, exploring how technology shapes our experience of pain and the body. At the core of the installation is a mechanical spine sculpture wrapped in neon lines around an exposed curved spine, symbolizing the entanglement of pain. Surrounding projections display my surgical memories, underscoring the shifting human-technology relationship. Drawing from Donna J. Haraway’s theory of symbiosis, I blur boundaries between human and machine, envisioning a future of integrated existence. This project represents both my personal reflection and a path to rebuilding identity. Inspired by the Buddhist *Diamond Sutra*, symbolizing resilience, I hope to support those enduring similar pain, encouraging them to reimagine their relationship with their bodies and technology in a symbiotic way.