The Irreversible Stepford-Society Conundrum

I cannot believe it has taken me THIS long to get around to posting about this project. This majorly huge/monumental/aesthetically defining project moment in my life. This show changed my art forever, and finally gave me the "style" I was waiting to discover when I walked thru the doors to my first art class my freshman year in college...

The artwork below was all a part of my Senior Exhibit my last year in college. My show was titled:

"The Irreversible Stepford-Society Conundrum"

I thought my title was a cleverly put together statement that touched on so many different facets of mass medias definition of beauty standards. i won't go into great detail about my artist statement... mainly because I can't find it and also because I haven't talked about it enough to remember my argument. So I'm just going to show you the art instead! I will say that it's mainly all about judging someone based solely on their appearance/clothing... but I figured that was implied. What kind of judgments would you make about someone if you couldn't see their face? The face can tell you a lot about a person... 

**Click on the images to see them bigger yo!

"VICTORIA"

 

"KATHERINE"

This show was probably the most labor intensive project I have ever taken on, and rightly so. Not only did I make/paint/draw all of the artwork, but I designed, built and painted the stands and all of the picture frames you see. I had a very specific aesthetic in mind for my show, and I didn't want my final grade or my graduation hanging on whether or not the frames were cheap and tacky. So I opted to go BIG.

"LAUREN"

 

"AUDREY"

 

Apparently to some my show had a very futuristic feel... The Jetsons was a common comparison, which I think had something to do with the framing. I happily acknowledged the comparison though, because I simply adore The Jetsons! The lithographs are framed as well, but they have glass... which DOES NOT photograph well. So, many apologies for the poor photo quality on my litho's.

"NAHNI"

 

"PIPPA"

 

Each sculpture was constructed in a four-part process. A process which I won't go into great detail with. I will say that each has an aluminum wire skeleton which I then "sewed" on a gutter guard mesh with a very thin gauge galvanized steel wire. Their "skin" was created using a sturdy paper mache-like process and then each was painted and sealed. Each one probably took a solid 30 to 40 hours to construct.  I'm still trying to figure out a way to make a much more durable sculpture that looks cleaner without putting "skin" on them. I loved the raw look they had, but I couldn't leave these ladies "naked" ha!

"JANE"

 

"SAM"

 

All of the paintings and lithographs (the black and whites) were done before any of the sculptures were made. I used them as my blue prints and because they only showed one side of the figure, it left a lot to interpretation when creating their rear-ends. For instance, the figure named "Audrey" has a lot of button detail on the back and an A-symmetrical slit in the skirt. In retrospect I think I did their drawings first as an unintentional homage to the art of tailoring. Fashion sketch to fashion sew.

Honestly though, paying tribute to my love for sewing and clothing did play a big part in my creative process. Fashion design has always been one of my favorite art forms. The sketches, the colors and the way the designers depict certain materials is fantastic. I wanted to do large scale fashion "sketches" of my own but done in an unusual way... which I believe I captured.


Here's an early stages shot of one of the sculptures... my fingers were MUSH by the time I was done. That metal is shizzy-sharp yo.

Cheerio!