In my work the proper Victorian aesthetic becomes a sideshow act. The Victorian era emphasized the separate spheres: the divide between masculine and feminine roles. Yet here, I have taken on both, through my exploration of craft forms and methods. Using pseudo- taxidermy as an art form, I bring to light the power balances between man and animal in the domestic environment, and so become not the hunter, but the dignifier of the fauna.
The popularization of taxidermy in the Victorian era was the embodiment of domination of man over the natural world. Animals were killed in their natural habitat, skinned, defiled, posed and placed as objects in our colonized, domestic environment. Here, the animals are given a pedestal. They claim ownership of man- made objects and materials dominating them to the point that they are no longer separable from the romantic upholstery. The furniture becomes unusable and we have no choice but to co-exist with its usurpers.
We have colonized this land and called it “Canada”, taken away the animal’s native habitat by assimilating, manipulating it and domesticating as our own, (much like taxidermy) however, in the polite Victorian domestic setting of my work dignity and the fauna’s power is restored and we become guests in our own homes. As a Canadian artist, I have allowed the animals to take over and reclaim “their control”.
Craft is traditionally considered the creation of functional objects. As a sculptor using taxidermy, upholstery and antique wood restoration, artesian skills have enhanced the functional object to imagine a dysfunctional one. Understanding craft history and the male/female roles, I disconcern myself from these roles through use of textiles, color and method, the masculinity of the work becomes irrelevant. I use equal components of male craft and subject and female craft and delicacy.
The popularization of taxidermy in the Victorian era was the embodiment of domination of man over the natural world. Animals were killed in their natural habitat, skinned, defiled, posed and placed as objects in our colonized, domestic environment. Here, the animals are given a pedestal. They claim ownership of man- made objects and materials dominating them to the point that they are no longer separable from the romantic upholstery. The furniture becomes unusable and we have no choice but to co-exist with its usurpers.
We have colonized this land and called it “Canada”, taken away the animal’s native habitat by assimilating, manipulating it and domesticating as our own, (much like taxidermy) however, in the polite Victorian domestic setting of my work dignity and the fauna’s power is restored and we become guests in our own homes. As a Canadian artist, I have allowed the animals to take over and reclaim “their control”.
Craft is traditionally considered the creation of functional objects. As a sculptor using taxidermy, upholstery and antique wood restoration, artesian skills have enhanced the functional object to imagine a dysfunctional one. Understanding craft history and the male/female roles, I disconcern myself from these roles through use of textiles, color and method, the masculinity of the work becomes irrelevant. I use equal components of male craft and subject and female craft and delicacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment