“Rat Jacket” addresses two concerns that I have worked through. First, I make rats. They are us so completely. Rats are territorial, completely destructive of every environment they occupy, fierce parents, and have invaded almost every land mass except the poles - from a medical research perspective we are one and the same. The second concern of my work is my obsessive need to find a local relationship to global concerns, meaning if you can personalize it you can understand it. “Rat Jacket” was made during the first four years of the invasion started by President George H.W. Bush, and is a reflection of my father’s service during the Korean Conflict. My father was awarded a CIB badge for his service after 40 plus days of 24/7 artillery fire on the 49th parallel. He never said a word about this service until 1989 when my siblings and I committed him to an intervention for alcohol use. He is a good person who was asked to do an extraordinary service. "Rat Jacket" is also part of a series of sculptures using a round, spherical base that is like an old fashioned toy." - Juliellen Byrne