Self doll project.

This week our project was a self doll project that was to include aspects of our personality or a specific past experience.   It was to measure exactly half our height.

Initally at the start of this project I was looking at life work balance but abandoned this idea to look at just balance.   After spending the day trying to get bamboo and weights to balance I decided against this too.   However the weight idea sparked another and I decided to look at food,  diet restictions, the relationship food has with my body and how different kinds of food throw the body off balance.   For me the idea of physical balance was in my feet so I decided to make feet/legs with different foods.  I threaded the food on to bamboo canes and stood them on flip flops.   I used wool to wrap and bind like a skin.

At this stage I was lost because I didn't know where to take this next.    Mike suggested that I put the feet on the photocopier.   This I did and after I decided to tear the photocopies up and make a collage using the different pieces.    I sewed the paper on to fabric using one piece of wool criss crossing as I went.  I added strands of thread and when I stepped back from it chewed food and saliva came to mind.

Next because I regarded chewing as a sculptural acitivity I chewed and mixed some food and applied it by throwing it at the collage.  Instead of eating my lunch the chewed and mushed food ended up dripping down and collecting in the pockets of the collage.   Some of it adhered to the string.   Again once I had this done I was lost.
This is what it looked like.

                                                                           

                                                    

On the Thursday of that week we had a visit from Sculptor Maude Cotter and after her morning lecture she visited us in our studio.   She spoke to all of us about our work and gave some advice as to where to take it next.   She liked what I had done with the feet, the wrapping of the wool as skin, the use of food.  She suggested as I had identified an area with possibilities I should push it forward make more, expand, use more wool.   She suggested that I look at the work in relation to the space it occupied, but basically to keep going not to be anxious about it let loose and to enjoy it.    She thought my collage was less interesting.
After her chat and with our review looming I really did need to do more.   Thursday night went making another form.   This time I used bread, I thought how the body needed food to survive and to function.   Something as basic as bread could provide for this need, but for people with restricted diets and food intolerances it could thow the body completely off balance.
                                                           

 

For Friday mornings review I decided to link the pieces together with wool but it didn't work.   On their own each piece worked better.
I found this project hard and difficult to engage with.  The first day went researching and then procrastinating over ideas.   Mike said 'make it first judge it later' but even doing so didn't seem to help.  However I learned some valuable lessons from this week.   I need to consider all aspects of the materials I use, colour, texture, think about what the use of the material says or conveys not just to me but to other viewers too.  Another important lesson I feel I've learned this week is not to use materials just because I have them and because they're convenient.
By the way my favourite part of this weeks work is the collage and I have to say it was the most fun and enjoyable part of the week.