Sperm!

I am in the process of creating a new sperm necklace!  I am expanding my series on sperm and ovum as wearable art objects.  The orginal sperm and ovum necklaces are about role reversal between the sexes in a mondern day society, taken down to the biological level.  These are about an appreciation for the physiological process, as well as a celebration of what defines a male and female. 

Now I am playing with how the new neck pieces will be better and more aesthetically pleasing.  I 3-D modeled the sperm and printed them in ABS plastic.  Figuring out how they lay and sit on an individual's neck is time consuming, but the designs I can be fun!  I love the reaction I get from different people when they see them, sometimes they are taken aback, but most times people think they are fun.

Emotional Abuse: Speech Constriction

Last year I entered a call for entries for the Society of North American Goldsmiths "The Body Adorned," and I was fortunate to be chosen for their first ever online exhibition.  I was very excited to when I found out, because I had never been in a national exhibition yet.  The theme centered on “adornment as experience” on the landscape of the body, and images of pieces on the models. 

Coinciding with the opening next week, I'll do a little background on my series about emotional abuse.  The first piece in the series is titled "Speech Constriction."  It is designed for the abuser to use on the abused, as a form of control.  Emotional abuse occurs between partners, siblings, parents, step-parents, "friends" . . .  It can happen to anyone, not just a significant other, and the purpose of my pieces on the subject is to raise awareness about it.

Batik Stamping Test

My first try at batik stamping, except I'm using a plastic stamp for my wax than a wooden stamp.  I designed and printed out my stamp on a rapid prototyper and it is made from ABS plastic.  However, the wax was not sticking  or soaking through the fabic, so I'm using the heat from a hot plate to pull the wax through the fabric when stamped.

The wax used for this is called batik wax, and it is used to create many patterns in material.  After stamping, the fabric would then be dyed, and then boiled (to boil out the wax).  The pattern that was stamped would retain the original color of the fabric.