Final Critical Breakdown 3

    Donna Haraway in her “A cyborg manifesto science, technology and social-feminism in the late twentieth century”(1991) comments on  three critical breakdowns in history that demonstrates that we are moving towards a cyborg era. This piece comments on the third critical breakdown: the boundary between physical and no physical has become very imprecise. This piece reflects on this breakdown by incorporating the senses that have both a physical component related to the actual sensation and a non-physical component related to perception. The physical sensation component of the piece relates to the fleshmap studies created by Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg. Fleshmaps is an interactive program that was developed using 33,871 participants of both sexes, to pinpoint the erogenous zones on the body that are of most desirable to them and the zones they find most desirable on other people. To physical represent this I decided to look at the neck, that traditionally is a very sensuous part of the body and the zones that were indicated on the neck by the Fleshmaps. Furthermore I decided to use the lower part of the face as well as I feel is it a sensuous area that lover often caress and hold. Thus the pattern I used to make it, is reminiscent of hands cupping a face.

             Using RTV-2 silicone I made flat braces for the lower face and neck areas. The flatness is a direct representation of the flat images provided by the Fleshmaps. Furthermore the silicone was cured with a small amount of flesh tint to give it a second skin quality. In the silicone I set 13mmx13mm laser cut acrylic crosses to present these point of desire. By setting the crosses in a stretchy silicone I was able to remove the crosses when it had set. This allows the wearer to place in the spaces created by the 13mmx13mm, 15mmx15mm crosses where they feel no desire, to cover up those areas, so that they can only be touched in the area they feel desire. Thus the silicone and acrylic cross form a physical barrier for where the wearer feels no desire.

            The non-physical component is related to the perception of desire. The gaps created by the set crosses, allows the wearer to display where they perceive they most like to be touched. To heighten this desire the pearl pigment 650 Micropearl was added to the silicone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69716075@N06/sets/72157627981354811/

Plasticine Molds and Silicon pieces [Unfinished]

Upside-Down, Right Way Up

Material: Sterling silver
Height: 9mm
Width: 22mm
Length: 28mm

 Inspired by a cast, silver, pendant by Otto Künzli, here I have formed an upside-down ‘love heart.’ Künzli's piece commented on the pop culture of United States through the use of an iconic image and giving it the appearance of an artefact (with a pre-Hispanic name). However I am simply interested in the sensation of the experience when wearing it, as only the wearer can view the piece the right way up, as a heart. Thus the experience is kept unique and personal. However the iconic image is universal.

Otto Künzli's series:

Second Skin [First Final]

Final fresh tint and see-through stretch, earth magnet pieces.

Second Skin [experiments]

Experimentation expanding to include a collection of powered pigments, crumbs, sheep's wool, mild steel and dentistry plaster powder.

Using pourable, addition-curing, two component silicone rubber that is highly flexible and has translucent properties mixed with other toxic goodies to create a malleable, stretchy all encompassing and form altering second skin.

Ties that Bind Us

Material: Silver

Ring Size: P (Aus) 56mm and O (Aus) 55mm
Weight approx: 19g

This piece is inspired by Gijs Bakker’s ‘Everyone’s Friend’ (1984). Bakker’s piece consisted of 6 rings linked together with different sizes that allowed the wearer many possibilities: 1. wear one ring at a time and let the rest hang loose, 2.wear all rings at once and 3. share the rings with loved ones. Here my piece consists of two linked rings, each ring is of a different size that represents a different people. Similarly to Bakker’s piece, the rings can be worn in many ways. Furthermore I used this piece to experiment with engraving. 

High Tea Extension

Material: Copper and Humbrol Matt enamels: no.200, no.61 and no.34

Ring Size: B and H
Weight approx: 51g
Height: 20mm
Width: 22mm
Length: 230mm

Forged from 8m (diameter) copper rod, this sugar spoon is designed to be worn on and extend the pinky finger. ‘High Tea Extension’ was inspired by many of the myths surrounding why it is believed to custom to extend the pinky finger at a 90 degree angle whilst drinking tea. Some of the myths I discovered included previously high society requiring to eat all food and drink with only three fingers, whereas the lower classes ate with more fingers if not the whole hand. Similarly sugar was once an expensive commodity reserved for the rich, so the rich used to use their pinky to dip (when wet with water) into the sugar. Therefore they would keep their pinkies erect and out of the way of touching any substances that would taint the pure sugar.  However other myths were based on practicality rather than social split, this included the notion that the hottest part of the tea cup is the bottom so naturally we want to move the finger closest to the heat away. Even a disorder based on the inability to bend the pinky finger is believed by some to be the birth of the pinky extension tradition. However no matter the origins, the extension of the pinky today whilst drinking tea to many is silly and a little humorous. Thus to comment on this ridiculousness, ‘High Tea Extension,’ through the use of two rings, prevents the pinky from being bent when worn. Furthermore the extended length of stem the spoon adds to pompousness as it allows one to elegantly reach to obtain a cube of sugar or to simply extend the pinky when picking up a sugar cube from a sugar bowl in the other hand. To highlight the notion that this piece is an extension of the pinky, the piece is painted with a pastel, porcelain skin colour that was mixed to match my own skin colour.