Layers

Layers surround us everywhere we go, layers of colour, bricks, plants, clouds in the sky, windows showing slithers of someone’s house and our own skin. Beneath our skin, although we can’t see it the layers of flesh and blood are there. Which is why I have chosen to communicate this idea of layers and decomposition of the skin within my project, peeling back the skin and revealing the layers.

I chose to explore these ideas of skin through use of machine/hand embroidery and latex work. Embroidery presenting the bones and the final layer of decomposition exposed by the skin - the fine black lines replicating the brittle bones as they decay but still withholding a prominent structure (which is why I used black to present these lines). With inspiration from Erin Endicott and her use of darkened tones and priming to embroidery on top of fabrics. Whereas the latex communicates the freshly dead/bloated skin - within the cups showing the outside and the inside of the skin, inspired by James Lomax’s inflated body casts using latex to show the different between living a death.

Initially I wanted to make a sheet of latex to embroidery into, however the latex was much stretchier than I had expected so this was not possible. In previous trials I had used tea stained fabrics and painted on the bloating a veins so I went back to this idea to then create a more structural latex piece along side my sheet of fabric showing skin and bones. I then had the idea of creating latex cups with a base of tin foil to hold the structure together then layering tissue paper on top so when the latex is on top certain prominent areas will look like bone poking through the skin. However, when you look into the cup it shows a fleshy red colour - the inside of our body and blood.

Overall, I found this project successful within my use of materials and incorporating skills learnt within workshops. However, I felt as though my materials could have been more expressive and experimental rather than having a similar idea throughout my project. The breaks in between the project of half term and UCAS week I felt interrupted the project and made it harder to get back into working. Even though this happened I still completed my work successfully and communicated my ideas of decomposition strongly to the viewers through materials and imagery.