EMILY BAXTER

“Worn by elegant mannequins, their softness and fleshy colour evoke feminine sexuality. This illusion of real skin arouses the desire to caress and touch. But like gazing at sensuous supermodels on catwalks, it must remain a visual seduction.” This sentence describing Nicola Constantino’s flesh fashion, published in Fresh Cream, inspired the creation of this project. Using plaster to cast my own body parts, I created a deconstructed figure attached to the frame. With loose strokes of acrylic paint surrounding the plaster, a suggested figure forms in a way that is reminiscent of classic portraiture, taking us back to a time when the male gaze dominated the world of art. The frame acts as a parallel to windows where mannequins would be displayed. The stretched skin, made by painting plastic wrap with acrylic paint, creates a conversation about the extent people will modify themselves to fit into what society deems as “pretty”. As you move from the top to the bottom of the multimedia installation, there are many printed eyes that begin to deconstruct. They form into painted eyes and then into collaged forms of eyes to comment on not only the gaze of others, but also the mass production of products in stores today. A strong spotlight through the glass allows for the projection of the words “visual seduction” onto the plain walls surrounding the piece. This projection made with a spotlight contributes to the idea of gazing into a store window with a feeling of desire for what is displayed on the opposite side. A feeling created by visual seduction.