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Nineteenth century phrenology followers referred to a
two-dimensional map outlining the sections of the human head that drew
correlations between the shape of one’s skull and specific mental
faculties. This diagram of the head as well as the basic theory of
phrenology—“reading” the surface of the head to determine personality,
morality or character—is what inspired the aesthetic and concept of this
series.
The series also draws aesthetic influence from traditional art of
silhouette portraiture, which was also popular during the nineteenth century and
typically displays a human portrait in profile, displayed in an oval frame. Use
of silhouettes were also common in the study of physiognomy—another discredited
science using exterior facial features to determine personal character.
Photographs are appropriated from online news sources depicting
various celebrity women and digitally translated into cross-stitched portraits.
This process of remediation and abstraction creates a cyborg-esque
representation, and comments on the public dissection of female roles by the
media and society at large. The juxtaposition of such media-made celebrities
blurs the distinction between praiseworthy figures and unworthy role model.
The women depicted in the Phrenology Series
raise questions about motherhood, fertility and morality (personal and medical)
as well as the portrayal of their stories by the media. One image in the series
depicts the image of Casey Anthony, coined “Tot Mom” by the media, who currently
stands trial for the brutal murder of her three year old daughter, while the
image of
Nadya
Suleman or “Octumom” is accompanied by the digitized likenesses of her eight
newborns, made possible by modern advances in in vitro
fertilization. “Tot Mom” and “Octumom” stare at one another as polar maternal
opposites who receive equally obsessive attention by popular culture.
With reference to historical ties between photography and
science, the tendency to associate physical appearance with individual
personality, and the abstraction from digital photograph to embroidery, the
Phrenology Studies point to traditional expectations and modern-day
characteristics ascribed to motherhood, womanhood and celebrity. |
