and there's no remedy for memory your face is like a melody, it won't leave my head, your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine but I wish I was dead

I came across work by artist Jessica Harrison from Edinburgh, Scotland. Right away I fell in love with everything she's ever done, and by just exploring her website and scrolling through her impressive cover letter, it's clear to see she has established herself as a "successful" artist. At least, what I view as achieved success for an artist.

Her work comes in the categories of: Imprinting, Breaking, Holding, Slicing, Splitting, Looking, Opening, Drawing, and Printing

Her online store features lithographs (pricy!) as well as photographic prints of work from her "Broken" series. It is the Broken series that I am most interested in, it is unlike anything I've seen before.

These pieces have coined the term "Gore-celain dolls" which is precisely what they are. Ceramic ladies revealing their insides, most with smiles on their faces. Some of them even seem to be dancing. What I like about this project is the contrast and juxtaposition that kind of catches you off guard. Like most people might initially see this and think, "What the hell?" but then you have to wonder what would compell someone to create something like this. Jessica describes the humour that appears in her work to as "my way of balancing this feeling of confrontation, aggression, or what people might see as grotesque. Sometimes people are more open to looking at something that appears humorous, and hopefully if they look for a little bit longer then maybe they will find other meanings in the work."

Interestingly enough, they are not hand made from scratch. "They are mass produced ceramics that I select and modify. I usually buy them at auctions or online, always second hand and usually already damaged." I love the recycled aspect of these art pieces and that the pieces are found damaged, because that alone makes up so much of the grotesque element and how Jessica might choose what precisely is "wrong" with each girl. It's just such a genius concept.

All images taken from Jessica Harrison's website

Emily

Charlotte

Amy Jane

Elisabeth

Erin

Fiona

Georgina

Rosemund

Mairi

Close up of Mairi's throat

Ruby

Ruby

Susan

Caroline

Caroline

Helen

I saw a little child, find a penny and he smiled, but what do children see, it's a mystery to me

This semester in school we are making garments for the annual "Wearable Art Show". They haven't decided on a theme yet but it's a toss up between Toys and Comic Books. Either would be really cool, I've started brainstorming ideas for both.

Naturally, if the theme is Toys, I want to do something with Barbie dolls and call the piece "Doll Parts".


We (Amanda and I) are thinking of encorporating decapitated doll heads onto a dress of some sort, or Barbies hanging from nooses, or mutilated dolls, etc. Something very loud and unnatural. I seriously doubt anyone else is going to take this route, so the originality is cool too. Here's some inspiration pictures I've gathered so far...



Some badass tattooed barbies and Sugar Skull aka Day of the Dead bitties.


This, unfortunately, really reminds me of the scene from Ghost World when Enid is in her summer school art class and the annoying feminist chick presents her tampon in a tea cup project. Also, "That piece is entitled; Mirror, Father, Mirror. I like to show it to people that I am meeting for the first time, because, I think it says so much about who I am, what it feels like to inhabit my specific skin."






Skipper...