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Curatorial Rationale

Did I Embody This?

Through my unit one and two projects, I’ve explored several different mediums such as textiles, knitwear, and soft sculpture. For both units I’ve found a way to physically intertwine each piece by adding a crochet element that can be used to help further explore my theme. Through each piece I’m able to step out of my own body and have physical control over something outside of myself and much larger. Thematically, my work has to do with the physical body and how that affects your own narrative, such as gender expression and sexuality, as well the vulnerability that comes with loss of control, mentally and physically. An inspiration of mine was Yayoi Kusama and more specifically her series of Compulsion Furniture. I was mostly inspired by how she uses her work to overcome her fears (such as an aversion to sex) through exposure in attempts to subvert her discomfort. Inspired by Kusama, I also wanted to also use a similar method of exposure and discomfort to step out of my body and analyze something bigger than and completely outside myself through physical form and vulnerability.

My first unit project, titled “Let me out, please.”, I crocheted a yoke sweater with an embroidery element and matching balaclava. I knew I wanted to crochet my entire first unit project, being that crochet has always been a means of tactility for me and through such physicality I was able to express my issues with sensitivity. I’ve always been overly hyper aware of how certain materials feel against my skin and throughout the years have learned which materials work for me or which absolutely do not. I wanted to explore such reactions, like the feelings of entrapment and over sensitization that come from such materials, like knitwear. Because I couldn’t wear irritating or tight clothing, it meant that a majority of the time I could only ever wear masculine and baggy t-shirts and sweatpants. For the sweater I used various shades throughout the body and gave it quite an oversized fit. The pinks were meant to represent the lack of femininity I’ve been able to explore through clothing and how now that I’m older I’m trying to find a way to convey femininity while still staying in my comfort zone, hence the oversized fit. Adding another visual component, I made a matching hot pink balaclava that droops down onto the torso of the sweater, to portray physical confinement and further articulate how it feels to be completely suffocated by a clothing item. Lastly, I went in with a contrasting and complementary lime to embroider the phrase and title of my work, “Let me out, please.” onto the neck of the sweater to verbalize such ideals.

For my unit two project, I created a soft sculpture life sized sex doll that also displayed some crochet elements; titled, “What Are You Looking At?”. I used this piece to explore the idea of gaze and more importantly the male gaze and how it relates to the ways in which we see ourselves through others eyes. I created somewhat of a “sex doll” with visible and surrealistic crocheted breasts and a vagina to display physical vulnerability and to try express the disconnection and dissociation between your physical being and mind, due to the fear of being sexualized and overall distress of not being perceived in the way you would like to be. And overall to display one's lack of control of what others do with your own image and the idealization that can come with it. I started off by crocheting a bra and panty set with beige yarn, that I later on attached 3D crocheted boobs and a vulva onto. This was done to try and challenge the ideas and displays of nudity, to further understand the meaning behind it all. The doll sits up in an empty corner of a room, sitting with its legs out and arms to its side, making it as un-noticeable and belittled as possible. This being done to play with the literal meaning of display, even when put in an uncomfortable and unwanted position. I wanted to make the awkwardness of its position and un-human-like features and skin quite visible to unsettle the audience and challenge the viewer to have to keep looking even when “being looked back at”. This was done to display one's lack of control of what others do with your own image and the idealization that can come with it.

Studio Work One: “Let me out, please.":

For my first unit project I chose to crochet a sweater and matching balaclava that includes a small text embroidery component, reading “Let me out, please.” on the hem of the neck. This assignment was supposed to represent a personal part of our own identity, and I used the sweater to express my issues with tactility. Crochet has always been a means of tactility for me and through such physicality I was able to express the different ways in which certain materials feel against my skin and the overall feeling of entrapment felt. Personally, sweaters and knitwear have always made me the most uncomfortable compared to other material, due to it's itchiness, so ironically I chose to create a sweater to creatively and physically explore touch and textile.

Studio Work Two: “What Are You Looking At?”

Inspired by Kusama’s Compulsion Furniture, I wanted to create a life size soft sculpture doll for my unit two project that also displayed some crochet elements; titled, “What Are You Looking At?”. I used this piece to explore the idea of gaze and more importantly the male gaze and how it relates to the ways in which we see ourselves through others eyes. I created somewhat of a “sex doll” with visible and surrealistic crocheted breasts and a vagina to display physical vulnerability and to try express the disconnection and dissociation between your physical being and mind, due to the fear of being sexualized and overall distress of not being perceived in the way you would like to be. And overall to display one's lack of control of what others do with your own image and the idealization that can come with it.