processproductionabigailmorton

[processproductionabigailmorton]

Artist Statement

Feminism is a topic I find myself truly passionate about and can relate to. Conceptually, I chose to focus on body image and how we can experience challenges with self-image, caused by societal pressures to look a certain way. Sculpture being my medium, I explored and challenged these idealistic physical appearances, by experimenting with soft sculpture to create an uncomfortable, vulnerable, uncanny atmosphere. The unpleasant sculpture formations, bring to light the relatable emotions felt with a negative body image. I created these soft sculpture globs using skin-coloured tights, threads, and cotton wool to stuff them with. I also adhered them with fabric glue, onto a cut out vest with buttons, which enabled my model to wear the final sculpture and photograph it as a body piece. This idea of body imperfections can be seen throughout my globular soft sculpture final artwork, as we become aware that lumps and bumps are beautiful.

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Final 10 Images

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These final six images have been edited using photoshop.

I chose to enhance the saturation, curvature and ensure the background is flawless and frames the final artwork successfully.

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And this is the final considered images for further editing and development.

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Here are another set of photographed images to be considered for the final editing process.

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I took a good variety of photographs displaying multiple angles of the artwork.

Some of these images are not suitable for further editing due to blemishes; visible background, hair over top of the work etc.

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For the final photography of the vest, I attempted to set up my own professional study using a bright studio light and and white sheet pinned to the wall.

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Quotes from the essay I believe resonate greatly with my concept and research:

"In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive female."

"The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed"

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Quotes from the book that I find relevant to my research of the male gaze:

“A man's presence suggests what he is capable of doing to you or for you. By contrast, a woman's presence . . . defines what can and cannot be done to her.”

“Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed is female. Thus she turns herself into an object of vision: a sight.”

“The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product. She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself.”

“Women constantly meet glances which act like mirrors reminding them of how they look or how they should look. Behind every glance there is judgment.”

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An aerial photograph of the vest to showcase the overall design of the product.

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The final vest, where all the soft sculptures have been securely glued to the vest ready for the final photographed images.

I chose to photograph them from a lower angle like this to showcase the depth, scale and structure of the vest.

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A photograph to document my working process and securing and building up the globular soft sculptures onto the vest.

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I attempted to sew the soft sculptures onto the vest but found that it was more efficient and effective to use fabric glue as I could ensure the soft sculpture globs wouldn’t hang away from the fabric and could hold their structure with a larger surface area being adhered to the vest.

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I wanted to photograph my thought process involving the positioning of the soft sculptures onto the vest.

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I chose to see the buttons on at each side of the waist line.

This is to best secure the vest that I’ve cut out to the model when the final piece is ready to be worn.

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I want to attach buttons onto the vest to ensure it sits comfortably and securely when being modelled for photography.

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To take my globular soft sculptures further, I aim to create a body garment to wear and stick the sculptures to. I think this would help relate the sculptures to body image and how I want to challenge subconscious stereotypes that we associate with the female physique.