The act of negotiation is made public in this work, a large stainless-steel wheel with levers for two participants. Ceramic handgrips mark each party’s placement, yet the wheel has a diminished range of motion, an acknowledgement of the inherent limits of such discussions.

The weight of the structure bears down on delicate ceramic spokes coated in a corporeal glaze, its tracery of red veins highlighting the emotional vulnerability of any negotiation in which one’s needs, desires, and hopes are laid bare.

Negotiator stems from Phillips’s personal experiences advocating for herself in institutional settings, which are evoked by the Carrara marble base.