untitled
2022/23
forged steel
Artist Statement
During my studies, I explored the concept of wearable sculptures. In these series of works I forged and polished metal to resemble silver. These sculptural elements were carefully bent to fit the body, evoking familiar jewellery attributes such as the way a necklace drapes or a clasp fastens.
Wearing these pieces transforms one’s perception of the body and its surroundings. Movement becomes deliberate and mindful and the wearer must adjust both body and mind to accommodate the external form. Over time, the sculptures become discomforting, causing physical strain that disrupts automatic movement.
My intention was to create a series of sculptures designed for different body parts, culminating in a performance where each participant wears a piece that restricts a unique area of their body (see Sketchbook images). The interaction between performers—how they move alongside each other, the intimacy formed through examining and touching one another’s pieces, and the mutual assistance needed to remove them—is a key element of the work.
This work reflects on how societal constructs shape our bodily identities according to ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality. From birth, we inherit expectations tied to our biological characteristics—for example, the assumption that being female aligns with social gender norms. These ingrained beliefs are worn like invisible jewellery: ever-present, largely unconscious, yet confining. The only path to liberation lies in recognising, experiencing, and collectively deconstructing these constraints.
Wearing these pieces transforms one’s perception of the body and its surroundings. Movement becomes deliberate and mindful and the wearer must adjust both body and mind to accommodate the external form. Over time, the sculptures become discomforting, causing physical strain that disrupts automatic movement.
My intention was to create a series of sculptures designed for different body parts, culminating in a performance where each participant wears a piece that restricts a unique area of their body (see Sketchbook images). The interaction between performers—how they move alongside each other, the intimacy formed through examining and touching one another’s pieces, and the mutual assistance needed to remove them—is a key element of the work.
This work reflects on how societal constructs shape our bodily identities according to ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality. From birth, we inherit expectations tied to our biological characteristics—for example, the assumption that being female aligns with social gender norms. These ingrained beliefs are worn like invisible jewellery: ever-present, largely unconscious, yet confining. The only path to liberation lies in recognising, experiencing, and collectively deconstructing these constraints.
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