​Themes: Inner self, incompleteness, brokenness, distorting, fragility, vulnerability.

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Based on an investigation into materials in its traditional and non-traditional forms. A child’s doll was the subject of my investigation. As I began to experiment with the different materials, instead of being drawn by the perfection of the casts, I was drawn to any imperfections of the casts that were flawed or damaged in some way.

 

It very quickly became an investigation of how I could manipulate the materials in order to cause the flaws and deform the end result. I worked with several different materials, including plaster, wax, resin and porcelain using 1 and 2-part moulds and casting all but the torso of the doll. The more I worked with the materials the more the need for fragility and vulnerability became. I started to relate the work as precious objects that needed protecting even though I was the instigator of deformity.

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It was an interesting observation how both the viewer and myself related to the work. Their view of deformity became a visceral experience, which in most cases repulsed them and yet the work became strangely precious to me.

 

As with most of my work, this investigation was captured by the lens.