When I walked into the "Making Strange" exhibit, I didn't even have time to read the explanation of the exhibit on the wall before noticing the mannequins dressed in what I first thought was somewhat futuristic-style clothing.
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"Silver foil Suit" made of foil medicine wrappers,
that I first thought was some sort of futuristic clothing |
I first walked over to a mannequin wearing a bright red dress that I thought had a beautiful colored fabric intricately sewn together to create an interesting folding pattern.
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| "Diva R-E-D" made from red bras |
It was not until I looked to the bottom of the dress that I noticed the title of the piece printed on the floor next to the mannequin. Underneath the title was a description of the material used to create the dress. When I saw it, I was slightly shocked that I hadn't noticed what it was made out of, as it read "padded bras." My first impression of the dress had been that it was a beautiful color, intricately woven, and something one might see on a runway, and it was made out of bras... how did I not notice? I looked around to some of the other pieces and knew I was in for a few surprises.
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| Description next to the mannequin |
To learn a bit more about the exhibit before continuing to explore, I watched a brief film in which the artist Vivan Sundaram spoke about the exhibit. Here I learned that "Making Strange" had two components, Gagawaka and PostMortem. Gagawaka consisted of the mannequins dressed in what Sundaram described as "trash" that was a starting point of creativity. He explained that he was interested in the "anti-aesthetic" of using trash to create art. I found this term, "anti-aesthetic" interesting, since I thought many of the pieces the mannequins were wearing were in fact quite aesthetically appealing with an uncommon beauty.
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| My view of the video in which Sundaram described his work |
I continued walking around the exhibit and noticed a common theme of clothing made out of medical supplies. I saw "Poisoned Robe," a dress-like design made primarily from surgical caps.
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| "Poisoned Robe" made of surgical caps |
There was also "Immunity Cover," made only from surgical masks.
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| Me next to "Immunity Cover" made of surgical masks |
One of my personal favorite pieces was titled "Snake Shell" and was made entirely out of x-ray film.
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| "Snake Shell" made of x-ray film |
The use of common medical equipment to create dresses and outfits represented a unique connection with the medical world, and it's application in art. I found it interesting that some of the pieces were created from materials that are usually found on doctors who are about to perform surgery in which they will be cutting into a person's body to focus on what is inside of them. Yet, in these pieces, the materials are not only on the outside of the mannequin, but intentionally being used to cover the mannequin as to not see what is inside of it.
The dialogue between the inside and outside of one's body continued when I observed Postmortem, in which medical educational tools were strategically placed inside partially dressed, hollow mannequins.
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| "Spine," fiberglass mannequin with anatomy sample spine inside |
This reminded me of the exhibit "Body Worlds" discussed in lecture, in which preserved bodies were on display. I was also reminded of Professor Vesna's discussion of some artist's extreme interest in cadavers and human dissection, and how many artists focused on anatomical drawings of the human body.
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| Some of the medical tools on display |
Throughout the entire exhibit, I was struck by the interplay of scientific knowledge and creativity, as well as the breaking down of barriers between the inside and outside of the body. I was fascinated that half of the exhibit focused on covering up the body, while the other half looked inside the body. The experience of having both Gagawaka and Postmortem presented together allowed me to appreciate the artist's questioning of concepts of the interior and exterior. The way Sundaram combined medical knowledge and tools with intriguing pieces of art, impeccably combined the arts and sciences to create a thought-provoking exhibit. I highly recommend viewing this exhibit if you have not already!
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