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Susan Stockwell’s Sculptural Explorations

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These dresses made of paper maps and money are a part of Susan Stockwell’s sculptural exploration of colonialism and the British empire.

From her website:

Susan Stockwell’s work … is concerned with issues of ecology, geo-politics, mapping, trade and global commerce. The materials used are the everyday, domestic and industrial disposable products that pervade our lives. These materials are manipulated and transformed into works of art that are extraordinary.

The choice of Victorian-style dresses is perfect to comment on British colonialism. The bustles in particular are a symbol of racism and sexist appropriation, associated as they are with the figure of Sarah Baartman, the “Hottentot Venus.” Her choice to portray only feminine clothing, and of a type associated with restriction of movement (and breathing) adds to the message and highlights the limitations and oppression that went along with the opulence and power of empire. Visually, the textures and patterns of the delicate maps and currency are at once beautiful and disconcerting. Also notable is the absence of any human figure, even a mannequin to wear the dresses; while the pieces can at first seem to be celebrating women’s fashion, the lack of women and their bodies points the viewer back to the appropriative silhouettes and content of the maps and paper material.

Discovered via Upon a Fold.


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