Spliced is a collection of Photographs, Paintings, and costumes related to the theme of the characterisation of different parts of my own personality portrayed in the primary form of crocheted masks and costumes.
Each costume represents a core part of my own personality and will be seen repeatedly in my works as figures and characters. Drawing from inspiration like Alice in Wonderland there will be a primary character that represents me as a faun (Alice, innocence, childlike, curious, prey) that along their journey meets other characters and personalities such as the Jester (mad hatter, symbolising chaos, fun, recklessness and the “devil” on your shoulder), the Star (the white queen/rabbit, symbolising destiny, kindness pathways and goodness and the “angel” on your shoulder).
I want to touch upon the nostalgia of the literary text of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and dive deeper into the eeriness of being trapped in one’s mind for too long. How thoughts and lines become blurred once you decide to leave reality for too long. This collection of works will delve into the deepest parts of my mind and touch on storytelling and narratives of the characterisation of influence and personality. Each character is ultimately genderless yet genderfull, exploring my own qualms with gender identity as someone who is non-binary.
The whimsical nature of each character is also related to my own fascination and interests of mythology, fantasy and imagination that I have had ever since I was a child. By indulging in this style I pay homage to my childhood of watching and reading media I loved as a kid and have shaped me in both my style, personality and interests I am today.
I wanted to explore the concept of our inner selves aiming to eerily portray the dangers of being in our own heads for too long and escaping reality. I wanted to use my technical skill of crochet as a means for the basis of my costumes to portray the threads woven in our lives, minds, and bodies, that everything is connected and interwoven even if you’re unaware of it. I aim to evoke an unsettling emotion in my audience that also captivates and intrigues. I want people to question whether the characters are being influenced by these other figures and I want them to question the story, the origin, the lore behind these three characters and what will happen next.
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