Physicality and embodiment

In softness this week we have explored what physicality means and how to explore different aspects of this idea as it pertains to space.
The assignment is to create an object and a public experience within this theme. To challenge ourselves by stepping out of our box of comfortableness.

This week I am working with Carolina Vallejo on a project that opens a conversation between us and the public regarding our bodies and how they perceive or want to perceive them.

Carolina informed me that she was interested in creating a wearable that commented on body augmentation and plastic surgery. She was interested in focusing on the breasts, this is a video that she showed me that also deals with this is a very comedic way.

These are the notes from our final decision on how we are going to approach this:

a block of clay that straps to the breasts inviting people to mold their ideal ones onto me.
giving people a blank canvas to create an intimate part of the body. what will their thoughts be? will they be challenged by the honesty they need to portray? will i be offended by their choices? will it bring a dark revelation, or an inspirational outlet?
this can be applied to other parts of the body, the nose, the eyes, the ass. things that are augmented daily and readily by women.
what will the creations of strangers reflect on in regards to their critique to me?
will people be influenced by the rest of my body image? or will they be able to focus on what they want and purely impose on me?

can i be as neutral as possible?
can i dress up sexy and get pornstar boobs?
can i looked tired and haggard while they give as much attention that needs be to create the “perfect breasts” they may be creating?

We are currently constructing the wearable block of clay and are a bit nervous of the public aspect…

UPDATE

we have constructed the wearable that we will engage the public with and will be embarking on a public space tomorrow. Here is the documentation of the creation of the piece and trying it out on Carolina’s and my own body, plus what it will take to create a “blank canvas” by flattening the breasts that we were already blessed with.

Blending Model Magic created by Crayola in order to create a mass of medium of which people can create our breasts from

It's taking a lot... something around 86 oz of the modeling compound

We keep mixing and mixing... we end up using a lot of white and some of the earth tones Crayola provides

Carolina showing off some of the beautiful mixes that were created while we were combining colors

One half of the mass volume we decided we would need for the final product

It took a lot of kneading to mix the whole mass into one lump

A whole lot of synthetic flesh

Sizing it up in relation to the body

Angela Chen approached and engaged us, she ended up being our first test run while we were still constructing the wearable

Angela sculpting

Carolina getting sculpted breasts thru the eyes of Angela from lara grant on Vimeo.

Carolina's finished breasts through the eyes of Angela

Another POV

The start of creating a blank canvas of which to have people create on

Creating a blank canvas from lara grant on Vimeo.

Wearing the second iteration of the wearable with bound breasts

Side view

Blurry close-up

We have decided that the block you see above is too big to ask people to create from. We will down size it and have extra material on the side, detached from the block that people can either choose to add with or take away from the existing smaller block.