Three in One
Size: Height 38cm, Width 20cm
I made this doll as the first project in sculpture. For this project we were instructed to chose three animals and merge them into one being. I chose a deer, a butterfly and a human child. This work talks about shields or covers we place over ourselves to hide and protect our true self. The deer is the skin that the human child is wearing. A deer is generally seen as a gentle animal who is meek and mild. I often feel as a woman that is what is expected of us, to be gentle and soft, seen and not heard. Perhaps I choose this skin to hide myself within as it is safe. The wings are the butterfly component. Again a butterfly is a gentle animal, however in this case the wings have an extra meaning, they are not really wings but something that smothers and covers the child. The child at times chooses to hide under it from the world, but this choice often leans to being smothered. This talks to depression, a darkness that takes over and smothers, it is very difficult to get out from under it. At the same time the depression can be a form of identity, a pathway in the brain that is so regularly walked it becomes the norm. On the flip side, the wings, could also represent freedom and escape but the being needs to learn to use them first, to get through the darkness then the wings will work.
The amulet is magical. The K stands for kindness. It speaks to the super power of kindness, how it is real life magic that can change a persons life. The kindness of others may help this being step out of the smothering darkness and into freedom.
Cailleach (Queen) Evergreen- Dressing Room
The brief for our second project in sculpture was to create a wearable sculpture for ourselves. The sculpture needed to address personal identity and incorporate an armature. Then the sculpture needed to be used to create an installation environment or performance. See below images for the installation of all of the components.
This work came about slowly. My initial idea was to create a sculpture from Crows Ash seed pods, as we have an abundance of these on our property and I love them. I felt they would make a very interesting robe for a queen. Which type of queen would wear a robe made from seed pods? I decided a fairy queen would! I liked the idea of exploring the concept of fairies as I have recently read a book by Hannah Kent, called ‘The Little People.’ This book is based in the 1800s in Ireland and explores themes around folk lore and the ‘Little Folk’ or fairies. I find that I often say the phrase, ‘off with the fairies,’ but have never asked myself the origin of this. After reading the book by Hannah Kent I realised it meant to be ‘taken’ by the fairy folk. In the book, a child has a major disability and the local ‘wise’ woman advises that the true child has been taken by the fairies and this disabled child is a changeling fairy child.
In terms of who the fairy queen is, I feel that a queen that takes true children from their families would be selfish and dark. In the installation for this work I hope to use lighting and shadows to show this. I will set up her dressing room, hanging the robe from deer antlers, the crows ash body armour casting shadows and a dressing table with her precious items on it, various seed pods and jewerly. I hope to make all of her possessions natural objects, such as seed pods, deer antlers, a deer skin lined robe and a natural forest green fabric for the robe. I hoped to show them to be gifts from nature to their Queen.
Through this work I am asking questions about phrases we say flippantly, without asking ourselves their true meaning. Would we continue to say them if we really knew? I am also exploring life, other realms and asking questions about them. Is this all there is or is there more to this existence? What is the sixth sense that so many people have, but cannot quite put their finger on what or who it is?
Inspirational Artist for Sculpture
The artists that I find inspirational for sculpture are Clare Poppi and Linda Clark.
I also find my fellow classmates very inspirational while doing sculpture. Very interesting how we are all set the same task with the same parameters but have very different results.
