COURAGE is a custom teeth grill made for my own mouth.
The work is derived from a single word repeatedly used by the man who abused me. After episodes of violence, after I fled for my safety, and throughout periods of coercive control, he would end emails and text messages with the word courage. He also described me as brave. After he was served with a five-year Order of Protection, he sent a one-word text:
COURAGE
On its surface, the word appears compassionate. In context, it functioned differently.
It did not mean courage to report the violence.
It did not mean courage to leave.
It did not mean courage to seek protection or accountability.
Instead, the word redirected attention away from his actions and toward my endurance. It asked me to carry the consequences of his behavior rather than requiring him to confront them.
The same word that appeared supportive became part of a coercive system. It softened violence without acknowledging it. It praised survival while leaving the source of harm untouched.
By transforming the word into a grill worn over my own teeth, I reclaim authorship of its meaning. What was once used to regulate my response now becomes visible every time I speak.
The word no longer asks me to endure.
It means the courage to leave.
The courage to tell the truth.
The courage to document.
The courage to resist silence.
The courage to expose coercive control.
The courage to insist on accountability.
The word has not changed.
Its ownership has.