I had a tutorial with Charlotte Newson a local artist which was extremely helpful. It helped me take my work further as I felt I was a little stuck after CUBED.
Reflection 23/02/21: This tutorial inspired our group path of a ‘doll-like-house’ for Interim Congruous exhibition as well as interesting starting point for my practice throughout L6 so – tilted me towards domestic and objectification again.
We discussed how the small clay boobs in Beauty Hurts were successful and how they should be pushed further in new ways; working with household objects. Due to COVID I was stuck at home and I wanted to work with what I had around me e.g. kitchen objects, relates to the domestic household gender roles of women and reminded me of Linder Sterling’s and Martha Rosler’s collage pieces of women and household appliances. Women were always seen to be in the kitchen, however this hasn’t disappeared yet due to the patriarchy.
Reflection 21/12/20: I have circled back to ideas of the domestic roles of the kitchen, experimenting in Baking, very hands on/artist involved and documenting the process of making icing breasts like Martha Rosler Semiotics of the Kitchen – main inspiration.
I decided to fill a mug with the clay breasts to explore women’s depersonalised and a domesticated object – inverted Womanhouse, Breasts to Eggs relation.
As I reevaluated Beauty Hurts, it then made me think that women may always be sexualised. No matter if you have your cleavage on show or not women are always harassed, judged or sexualised for their breasts.
The clear packaging from Beauty Hurts suggests the idea of even though the breasts are technically covered, they are not hidden. So with this I brought a clear mug and I refilled the mug with breasts again as I am aiming to expose this stigma of breasts and display them as they should be, normalised and not sexualised. See image below, A Sip or two.
This was a big movement in my work as this tutorial with Newson challenge my work/use of materials that are at hand. This helped consider the reflection and feelings of COVID that are in my creative space. See below my sketchbook page – this blog helps me finalise my thoughts and has become a great process for me and my work:
Another object I used after researching Womanhouse and in particular Eggs to Breasts, is a frying pan and a wooden spoon. I was really excited to see how this work with the photography. Eggs to Breasts fascinated me that I had to created this piece of work. I chose to place the breasts in the frying pan as if they were eggs. Although it has the similar ideas of fertility (which I’m not interested in following currently) and womanhood. See images below.
Reflection 01/11/20: From a 1-1 with Jane, we discussed how it would’ve been more successful if the pan was hot so the clay breast actually changed appearance – may be worth placing the breasts in the actual kitchen space?
I named these pieces Cookin’ Up Beauty as it refers to the idea of social media reinforcing women to follow the stigma of wanting the perfect body and though they are on their way to be ‘idealised’. Reflection 21/12/20: “beauty itself has been traditionally gendered as a female trait of desirability” (Koo, 2004, p 299). Visual of cooking till perfect to fit to the stigma. I am really enjoying this photography at the moment I feel much more involved in my practice at the minute and feeling as though I am expressing how I feel.
Reflection 08/03/21: I did place the breasts in the kitchen space for Congruous but didn’t work with the physical change of the breasts instead, the representation they channel of women which I think this was just enough.
I decided to try the breasts on flesh so I took them in my hand and focused on the tight grip – references the pressure of women’s own destructive gaze on themselves to become the ‘idealised’.
Reflection 21/12/20: Interesting to see this relation to Only Touch with CLEAN Hands here so early one. From my group crit 24/11/20 regarding this work, it was brought to my attention that even with a female hand it still suggests issues with the male gaze/dominance depending on how you use the hands and its actions? Is this the same for this too?
Newson was intrigued to see how a males hand would change the meaning of the photograph. In A Handful of Women (man hand) adds the harsh image of male dominance, sexual objectification of the female body. See below – would it be more impactful if the breasts would’ve changed shape?
Ideas:
- Doll size chest of drawers, wardrobes, ovens etc. Relation to the idea of a ‘Barbie World’ and the idealised and in relation to the gaze. Reflection 21/12/20: “Even toys under go ‘the knife’ in the name of beauty” (Koo, 2004, p 298).
- Creating even smaller clay breasts to play with size and range in the photographs – see how they work and change the photo as well as the meaning. I feel as though these would also work extremely well with projection similar to my CUBED installation.
Reflection 21/12/20: The range of sizes was very successful within my practice as it helped to create a variety of noises as the breasts fell in my film Only Touch With CLEANS Hands – this was a very influential piece.
Reflection 15/04/21: I have continued this idea of small sculptures except with icing in Sweet Tooth B&W, tackling the breasts from another angle with performance/eating develops those original ideas of sexual objectification and male dominance I had here further.
