A lot of what it takes..., 2006
Sculpture
Habit, 2007
Sculpture
Notes
A lot of what it takes... was exhibited in conjunction with Pixels for my M.F.A. thesis exhibition at Edinburgh College of Art. This sculptural work is made from a pair of Marks & Spencer cotton thong underwear that I beaded by hand. Non-elastic beading thread had the function of spatially limiting the underwear so that they couldn't be worn, while the silver bugle beads gave a sensual weight and flashiness to the utilitarian white cotton.
The title A lot of what it takes... makes reference to the Busby Berkeley musical number "We're in the Money" performed by Ginger Rogers et al in the film Gold Diggers of 1933. Conceptually the beaded underwear related to my research about Siegfried Kracauer's The Mass Ornament and Depression-era diversions, impressions about Feminism and contemporary popular culture, as well as my focus on Craft and theme of many tiny elements having an all-encompassing effect.
Habit focuses on the functionality of the thong. In making this work, I deconstructed four pairs of cotton thong underwear and sewed the Y-shaped back parts together, creating a continuous interlocking form. I beaded these absurd "double-thongs" using the same technique and non-stretch thread. The completed sculpture has an overtly fetishistic quality, the narrow loops resembling a fashion accessory or bridle.
A lot of what it takes..., 2006
Installation views #1 and #2
Thong underwear, bugle beads, beading thread
Sisters, Twins, 2006
Collage
Counterpose, 2007
Paper sculpture
Habit, 2007
Thong underwear, beads, beading thread