Trophy
Year: 2016
Event: World of WearableArt Bizarre Bra Section Finalist
Inspiration:
Antlers and animal heads, women and breasts, both trophies to some, with or without their host! This piece looks at the way humans attribute value to certain things - in this case the magnificent antlers of the deer, which we cut off and stick on walls to admire, and with women's breasts, which are padded, plasticised and put on display. Both the deer and the woman are reduced to a single body part.
Materials & Techniques:
Wire, merino and alpaca wool, wet and needle felting
More Information:
Trophy was created over a wire armature which is (mostly) symmetrical – it’s very hard to do when hand-making! The structure is tulle-wrapped for stability and texture before wrapping it with merino wool roving, then wet felting. The piece was worked on an ironwork table on the verandah to let the water drain away – it was very awkward and became very heavy with the water. After drying, it was filled in with more merino roving and needle-felting, before the brown alpaca fibres were added. Trophy was retained for display in the World of WearableArt Museum.
Bonus Information:
I was fortunate enough to get Mr Pole Dance Australia to model this for me, and his fantastic movements and presence were absolutely perfect for this dramatic work. Adam Lin was another TAFE fashion student. The background of cement tilt-slab walls at my husband’s industrial shed complex were the perfect substitute for a photographers studio, and became the standard backdrop for the next few years.
