Do Not Touch
Mixed Media-(Store bought nails and board) 61 cm x 91 cm x 30 cm November, 2018 Do not touch is a mixed media piece, using purchased nails, inspired by the feminist art movement, Praxiteles's Aphrodite of Knidos and The Abstract art movement. This piece challenges society to ask the question "To what extent to they expect sexual assault victims to go before the victim is no longer at fault?"
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Inspiration
Praxiteles's Aphrodite of KnidosJason Pollock- Mural |
My inspiration for this piece was drawn from 3 main sources: The feminist art movement, Praxiteles’ statue of Aphrodite, and the Expressionism art movement. The feminist movement inspired the message behind my work. Feminist art was “a tool to question the social/political landscape.” My work is a questioning of rape culture in America. Rape culture is, “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.” This is an issue just now in the spotlight, but it has been an issue forever. This movement also inspired the materials for my piece. During the beginning of the movement women used materials associated with their gender to make a statement about societal norms. I wanted to do the opposite in my piece, using nails, a material associated with handy work and the male gender. I used nails to create a woman’s form, challenge the social constructs and comment on what lengths must be taken before a woman isn’t blamed for rape. The inspiration for the form of my sculpture came from a classic work, Praxiteles’ Aphrodite. His piece was one of the first fully nude female sculptures. It was erotic and sensual for the time and set as an ideal beauty standard. This statue was sexualized and can be seen as a representation of how women are currently objectified. The idea of a fully nude female, even in the form of an inanimate statue, captured men’s attention. The female form in my piece without a head or any other signs of identification was made with the intent of being the most sexualized portion of the female figure, to capture attention to lead to the comment of objectification of women. Abstract art was the final inspiration for my work. This inspired the use of color and painting technique. Abstract art was used to “respond to the anxieties of the modern world.” In work red was used because of its emotional intensity as it relates to feelings of anger, lust, sexuality, and hate. Drip painting was used to convey lack of control and chaotic feelings associated with rape.
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Planning
The planning for this piece began with how I could make the form of a women my first though was a mannequin. Then I didn't know where I could find a mannequin so I thought of a clay sculpture but I wanted it to be more realistic then I could make it with clay. The idea to use paper mache came last. Then the idea of what the bodice could be covered in came up. What could portray the extremity of the issue. I thought of something women are told to carry like pepper spray or keys but then I went to the idea of something industrial typically associated with men to align with some of the messages from the feminist movement. My final thought process was about the pose of the figure. Did I want it to be posed in a classical Grecian style? That didn't sent the message I wanted to send. The figure gradually went to a basic form to portray the way women are objectified.
Process
The process began with covering a female form (me) in paper mache to create a sort of sculptural form. Next I added layers of paper mache to make a more sturdy base in preparation for the nails. I glued each nail individually the cut wire proportionally to the piece for structural support. I stapled the wire to a 2 foot by 3 foot board and attached my form with nuts and bolts. I then painted the background red and attempted to drip paint it several different shades of red oil based outdoor paint. In reality all the shades muddled together to create one shade. I then dipped my hand in white latex based paint and placed handprints strategically around the piece.
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Meaning
This sculptural work is a critique on rape culture in America and globally. In America victim blaming is a prevalent issue when it comes to sexual assault. Things like "She asked for it," and, "Did you see how she was dressed?," often come out of peoples mouths when a sexual assault case is going on. The problem with this way of thought is at what point is a sexual assault victim no longer blamed and when is a rapist held accountable. the system for persecuting rapists in this country is broken. Rape is hard to prove, sexual assaulter know this and take advantage of it, then society blames the victim for not taking every "necessary precaution" to prevent such an atrocity. This system that in the end protects sexual assaulters leaves survivors of sexual assault silenced and scarred. My piece is a bodice of nails covered in red paint and nails. the bodice of nails is representational of the question "To what extent is the sexual assault victims precautions enough before they are no longer blamed?" When thinking of the idea to use ails I was reflecting on ways I have been told, from the day I could leave the house on my own, to protect myself from sexual assault. Things like pepper spray, holding keys between my knuckles, covering up. This visual representation of those precautions takes it to an extreme to send the message that nothing will ever be enough for society not to blame the victim. The red paint with the white hand prints has multiple meanings. Red is an emotionally fueled color, it gives off feelings of anger, lust and hatred while white is a color of purity and cleanliness. After a rape a survivor is often left to sift through all the emotional trauma alone. The white hand prints reflect the name Do Not Touch a message that should be drilled into everyone's head from a young age. White was used to show how the sexual assaulter often gets off blame free and the survivor is left with those handprints forever. The overall meaning of this work was to say the solution isn't in sexual assault targets taking precautions, it's in spreading a global message that rape is completely unacceptable and people shouldn't touch what they aren't explicitly invited to.
Reflection
The process for this piece was poorly planned and fairly difficult. It was filled with a lot of new skills I was unfamiliar with like paper mache, cutting and forming wire, and using a drill and a staple gun. The construction of this project was time consuming because of these obstacles. The final result of my piece turned out different from my initial plan but still conveyed the message I intended it to. Throughout the process my plans were changed involuntarily due to learning what I wanted to do wouldn't work. Originally I wanted to cover the whole bodice in nails, but when I started attaching the nails I quickly learned that would be far too heavy to try and attach to my board so I ended up only covering the central, most sensitive areas. This project took many unexpected turns similar to that. My final piece was largely unplanned but the meaning was sometimes only heightened through some of the unintentional changes. This piece in sighted a lot of personal reflection for me about the culture I live in and that thousands of other women live in across the globe. It also helped me further understand the role art plays in bringing cultural failures to light.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The three inspirations influenced my work in three different aspects of my piece. The feminist art movement inspired the conceptual idea of shining light on a key issue, sexual assault, that effects so many women across the globe. The statue of Aphrodite influenced the structural aspect of my piece being a womanly form. The abstract art movement influenced the design and use of paint in my piece, the use of paint pouring, and the abstract scattered hand prints.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Rape culture, while it has recently come under a harsher light is still a widely practiced set of ideas in the United States. In recent years the me too movement and a revival of the feminist movement have allowed for strides in the reduction of rape being an accepted idea. The cultural aspect of rape still remains the same, people have a bias against women so they continually excuse the actions of men. On the flip side people ignore women as rapists because they are "weaker" than men and the idea that a woman could commit sexual assault is foreign to many people within american culture.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Rape culture in America. The central idea was the concept of victim blaming as a common theme in the United States. People are quick to critique the victim and what they did to entice rape without persecuting the rapist.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Artists in the feminist movement all had different things to say with the same underlying thought of critical change through bringing harsh issues to light. The feminist movement was more than a collective of women coming together to create an art platform. During the feminist movement women's art reflected key cultural issues. They shined light on topics like body acceptance and women's rights.
The three inspirations influenced my work in three different aspects of my piece. The feminist art movement inspired the conceptual idea of shining light on a key issue, sexual assault, that effects so many women across the globe. The statue of Aphrodite influenced the structural aspect of my piece being a womanly form. The abstract art movement influenced the design and use of paint in my piece, the use of paint pouring, and the abstract scattered hand prints.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Rape culture, while it has recently come under a harsher light is still a widely practiced set of ideas in the United States. In recent years the me too movement and a revival of the feminist movement have allowed for strides in the reduction of rape being an accepted idea. The cultural aspect of rape still remains the same, people have a bias against women so they continually excuse the actions of men. On the flip side people ignore women as rapists because they are "weaker" than men and the idea that a woman could commit sexual assault is foreign to many people within american culture.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Rape culture in America. The central idea was the concept of victim blaming as a common theme in the United States. People are quick to critique the victim and what they did to entice rape without persecuting the rapist.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Artists in the feminist movement all had different things to say with the same underlying thought of critical change through bringing harsh issues to light. The feminist movement was more than a collective of women coming together to create an art platform. During the feminist movement women's art reflected key cultural issues. They shined light on topics like body acceptance and women's rights.
Bibliography
Decameron Web | Society, Brown University, www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/4811.html.
Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, and The Facts, www.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts.html.
“Expressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-expressionism.htm.
“Feminist Art Most Important Art and Artists | TheArtStory.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-feminist-art-artworks.htm#pnt_5.
“World Art.” Annenberg Learner, www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/147/index.html.
Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, and The Facts, www.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts.html.
“Expressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-expressionism.htm.
“Feminist Art Most Important Art and Artists | TheArtStory.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-feminist-art-artworks.htm#pnt_5.
“World Art.” Annenberg Learner, www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/147/index.html.