My practice bases a lot of itself on critical research as I focus on feminism, the male gaze and the theory of heroism. The work itself uses a storyline to structure the sculptures presented and I use painting and sketch work to also aid this. Through research of artists that use similar aesthetic tropes and colour themes, artists such as Grayson Perry, Colin Christian and Tim Walker. I have been able to navigate my understanding of pastel colours in my work and also the importance of a colour theme. I have also researched the importance of certain colours, such as pink and blue. These have been used to elict emotion and a generalised understanding of the mood for people and their placement for decades.
The inherent use of these tones is in the Victorian era as pink was seen as a masculine, reminiscent of red; the colour of blood and wrath and blue was used as an effeminate tone in Europe as it was associated with the Virgin Mary’s garments. The use of these colours within my practice therefore effectively works when presenting powerful women as we can determine their personality and figurative quirks through the way we perceive colour. I have also taken advantage of religious iconography and the image of the Madonna, as she is also depicted in mainly pinks and blues,. This symbolism counteracts the gender divide and the need for race as it states without word the importance of concentration from the viewer because these sculptures demand it visually.
I use film subjectively as I find certain director styles very artistic, directors such as Wes Anderson in particular presents his scenes in a story board fashion which is reminiscent of the theatre and stop motion. This is ideal as my dioramas will be featured in a story board manner as I want it to immerse the viewer.
Although the work is very stylised I also want to propose a message through satire and bold colours as I feel that the gripping nature of the imagery makes a story line and message all the more prominent. The use of cartoon like – stylised and figurative sculptures add a silly quality to the fembots used and in turn dehumanises them. This allows the viewer to see them as objects and expand on the personalities seen by themselves. What the viewer will see is something objective that they can take as their own.
I will be directing creative attention to the women’s liberation movement, themes of rape and slavery it will be done so broadly that those viewing can enjoy the story line. To do this I need to research feminism, fetishism and how to tackle tricky subject matters in a representative and respectful way if I want this project to work.
I also find myself asking ‘What is a fembot?’
Fembots and gynoids are an invention of modern man, with the rise of technology so rose our interest in the female form however from my research I found the characteristics of one are not set in stone. Through subject matters of commercialisation, the male gaze and various sexual enterprises we find that men in particular have always had a vast and expandable interest in the female form but this type of 'detach emotion and consume primarily' approach is systematically furthered and defined by the consumption of the internet and pornography.
Why have I chosen this subject matter?
Satire mainly.
A work with emotion behind it enables myself and the viewer to assess how they may feel when looking at the piece and in order to create these feelings I constantly find myself surrounding my work with my own sense of humor because it personalises it and reinforces my view and relationships to erotica and the nude.
Welcome to the Bellendrome is an immersive experience consisting of six handcrafted diorama peep shows, with audio providing the story line. The work focuses on a dystopia ruled by the sex industry and tells the stories of the AI bots held prisoner by the patriarchy.
This kitsch theme captivates a cultural message of slavery, feminism, sex work and tackles issues such as the #metoo movement and when to say no. As an advocate for women’s rights I grew up within a single parent household and was the victim of domestic abuse. I was given hope however through the strong and courageous acts of my mother. I was saved by women’s aid and rescued from the battle that was male on female violence. In my teen years I was a victim of sexual abuse and rape, nearly ending my own life on two occasions, however once again my mother saved me and taught me how to grow from my experiences.
We cloud our facts and truths with rose tinted glasses through the media but a staggering 20% of all women have been the victim of sexual abuse and a staggering 1.3 million women have been the victim of domestic violence. This work however is not an attack on the patriarchy but it is an attack on redefined feminism. I love sexuality, I love lude subject matters and I love men. I don’t however love my and many other women’s experiences. I overtly thrive conducting my work in a kitsch and comedic fashion as it is in fact a coping mechanism for me. I could be frightened or depressed but instead I choose to laugh and have fun with the body. To triumphantly take back sexuality and really transcribe my feelings into my art.
Satire is a big part of my works as the subtly within such a non subtle subject area creates a space for fun and hidden layers of it. I ensure that all of my work has the option for ‘Easter eggs’ in which I hide objects or script within the piece, I find doing this presents the audience with a much more in depth scope of the work.
I also like to challenge object use e.g. Sex toys and the objectification of women in a silly fashion as it still sheds light on the importance of feminism but starkly contrasts it in a satirical manner. A balancing act.
As a woman I personally feel well suited and responsible for making these links within my work as it is a well researched approach and I personally have no issues answering or providing evidence for my projects and the real problems they expose. I feel like a wider audience may not accept crude visuals personally or publicly within an artistic format, nor will a large percentage take the work in jest but might in fact feel prone to anger and disrespect when viewing. This of course is an issue I will be faced with when exhibiting however I will strive to educate not eradicate.
Furthermore I use surveys within my work as a research tool because my work has such a social narrative, I think employing this tool allows me to understand what people expect/want to see, I love using surveys to establish the means of the work through a wider audience as I am able to bounce ideas of different age ranges and subgroups, therefore broadening my creative scope.
