The Female Gaze
Currently my interest is engaging with notions of body image; I plan to use several female bodies (cast mannequin), part or all of which, being ‘covered’ (not clothed) in materials that in no way could be seen as adornments (fashion) or separate from the figures. It would demand of the viewer a consideration of what we expect to see, these figures are ‘the body perfect’. How we feel about the way women dress, why we make certain choices? How do we react to these unexpected coverings? What connotations do they offer? (They will not be at all sexually explicit but suggestive of the need to create an ‘image’.) The mannequin figures of course are objectified and as such we understand the nature of engagement in the context of shopping. However, once taken out of context, can we see the true purpose or subconscious reasons behind the obsession we all have with ’looking good’? Furthermore, the work will contrast historical expectations of a woman’s role with current feminist ideas, notions of what has changed or remained and how we now see ourselves.