Doulton (2013) is a moving image piece, exploring the delicacy, desirability and the visual consumption of the female body.
Presented on a dining table, positioned behind a vase of fresh flowers, the subject takes on the likeness of an china ornament. Dominating the space afforded to her, she imitates an inanimate object, and yet blinks, thinks, breathes and moves— a living representation of same female bodies that have been cast and carved in stone, ceramic and wood for millennia.
Whilst observed by audiences, the subject reclines deep in thought; it remains uncertain if she is aware of being observed, inviting prying eyes into her space, or simply the spectacle of a show she is unaware is underway. Suspended in a part romantic, part dramatic pose reminiscent of female subjects in works of art from movements as diverse as renaissance and impressionism, there lies an inviting curiosity in the exposure of breasts in what seems like a state of undress; an arguably benign display of flesh, which still manages to fuel a sense of anticipation and tension between subject and audience.
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