Cuddly toys, fake fur, stitch
No animals have been harmed in the making of this garment, 2010,
as a Living sculpture at at Bristol Museum’s 'Make Space' alongside The Woman’s Hour Crafts’ Prize exhibition in July 2018.
(Click for full image)
No animals have been harmed in the making of this garment is the first garment-like sculpture I made. When its worn, the participant becomes a living, moving sculpture. Since then, Living sculptures has become a growing series of wearable hand knitted soft sculptures.
I was interested to find that working with cuddly toys was oddly troubling. They were kindly donated by friends or bought in charity shops, so had no personal memories attached to them, but dissecting and disembowelling them in order to stitch them onto the sculpture was still disquieting. It felt as if I were murdering something vulnerable. The contrast between the expectations of comfort associated with stuffed animals and the violence of destroying them sets up several intriguing conflicting sets of emotion- attraction and repulsion, horror and hilarity. Making work that provokes this push and pull of emotions in the viewer fascinates me. Stuffed animals are often significant transitional obects for many people. They are powerful signifiers of the transition to independence. They can also have uncanny qualities, as if they are real. And here they're dismembered, making them still more troubling.
Since making this sculpture, I've researched several other artists who use soft toys in their work, especially Annette Messager.
Normally, in an art gallery, there are signs saying ‘Do not touch’; what happens if the viewer is not only encouraged to touch but is invited to become a living sculpture by wearing an abstract soft sculpture? What would it look like? How would it feel?
Most of my static soft sculptures are technically wearable, and at some point during the process of making, I try on most of my sculptures. It’s part of making them me and is also part of my ongoing research into the links between clothing, body and identity. Yet they are often, realistically, utterly unwearable.
Click here for the documentation of the initial research and development of my Living sculptures in 2018
This is part of a larger body of work in progress where, using traditional garment-making skills and unexpected materials, I am developing a selection of more readily wearable sculptures which can be put on and removed independently by visitors. The passive viewer can choose to become an active participant, a performer; or, for the onlooker, the space will be transformed into a dynamic, ever-changing, interactive experience.
I also trialled the participatory aspect of this idea as part of a day at Bristol Museum’s 'Make Space' alongside The Woman’s Hour Crafts’ Prize exhibition in July 2018. I provided mirrors and some static soft sculptures for photo opportunities. Feedback indicates that the participants found it playful and fun but that it also provoked a range of conflicting responses. I documented the event with photos, videos and interactive feedback and feel that it was highly successful. I’m planning to add to this series and provide further opportunities for a larger, more immersive experience.
Here are some images of No animals have been harmed in the making of this garment at the Living sculptures event at Bristol Museum:
