Skin Crawl
2018
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Expiring fruit cast in jesmonite, rubber objects cast from ad-hoc molds made from fishnet tights and plastic bags, muslin, leatherette, carved and painted polystyrene, Perspex, gemstones, pebbles, sea sponge, nail polish, steel and a ceramic toe
Skin Crawl is an agglomeration of vibrantly coloured and textured body-objects made from expiring fruit cast in jesmonite; bulbous rubbery casts from ad-hoc molds made of fishnet tights and plastic bags; muslin, leatherette, carved and painted polystyrene, gemstones, pebbles, sea sponge, nail polish and a ceramic toe. The work draws from the concepts of trypophobia (a fear of closely clustered holes) and aposematism (warning colouration exhibited by animals who are hostile to predators) to refer to the aging process, and the refusal to conform to cultural ideals.
The trypophobic’s extreme aversion to bumps or holes is reminiscent of the way the media and advertising prompt us to react to signs of ageing, particularly in women. The body-objects, collectively titled ‘Skin Crawl’ are presented as a sculptural group portrait, refiguring a memory of a tv show I watched as a teenager about a Sports Illustrated photoshoot. A group of supermodels posed in bikinis on an rough outcrop of volcanic rock – elegant, sexy and, above all, thin. Their glamour was a stark contrast to the sense of inadequacy I felt watching them.
This work was developed during the Hospitalfield Summer Residency 2018 and exhibited in #24hrwindow, Glasgow under its previous title: 'Priscilla (75) & friends: a portrait'.