a bodice front.

photo: oil painting on vintage paperclip box (cardboard), metal clamp, sewing pattern and wire, 1992

history prevails. art and life come full circle.
i retrieved this old scuplture/painitng from a box in our storage loft. i am always amazed at how well it survives the many moves and mis-handling. it rolls around in the box with the clamp attached. i made this piece shortly after my undergraduate studies (1992-ish) and in one of my first studios outside of academia. i was utilizing sewing patterns independent of actually using them for sewing. i have been thinking about this piece a lot lately as i have witnessed the ongoing various textures of offensive, irresponsible media messages regarding, not only the BREAST cancer campaign, but the centuries old strategy of using the female body for exploitation, whether admittedly or not, in any advertising.

example 1.
example 2.
example 3.
example 4.
example 5.
etc. etc. etc.

when i install this work for display i am always careful to consider the conceptual implications spoken by the tension between the wire and the tissue paper. in the past i have pulled the wire upwards so tightly that the tissue nearly tears- implying the unbearable weight of the clamp and its content. tonight, however, i chose to mysticize the strength of the tissue over the weight of the clamp, the box and its image, leaving the bodice unaffected.