Danielle deo Owensby

One Sheet For Each Day Since

One Sheet for Each Day Since is a photographic and collecting performance piece documenting the passage of days since I experienced childhood sexual abuse. For each day that has passed, I collect one bed sheet—an ever-growing mountain that serves as a metaphor for the weight of trauma and the resilience of survival. Initially estimated at 6,000 sheets, the collection grows daily, reflecting the ongoing nature of healing and survival.

The accumulation of bed sheets and their corresponding photographs symbolize the enormity of the emotional toll that childhood sexual abuse leaves on individuals. Each sheet represents a day lived, a testament to endurance in the face of pain. By collecting and documenting these sheets, the work becomes a physical manifestation of memory, trauma, and survival.

This project does not aim to provide a resolution or a neat ending. Instead, it challenges the pervasive desire for stories of trauma to conclude with tidy narratives of recovery. Healing is not linear; it is ongoing, messy, and deeply personal. This project will only conclude when I feel at peace with my past—a moment that will signify not just an end to the collection, but a beginning of joy.

This project has been funded in part by the Weisman Foundation at Columbia College Chicago.

One Sheet for Each Day Since has now given life to a new project, Stitched in Silence, which you can learn about here.