Hayley Lovelock
Disoriented Subjectivity
My practice is heavily focused on the grotesque potential of the fragmented human body. Through fragmentation, body parts become isolated morsels of horrific delight, that we are simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by. When detached, features such as hair, teeth and ears disorient our prior understanding of human form as a whole contained being; allowing us to reflect upon ourselves as flesh among flesh, objects among objects.
Film theory and aesthetics has underpinned my approach to art making, particularly where it concerns the horror genre. Through film, I was exposed to Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection, which has been an ongoing point of fascination for me and has predominantly determined the content of my work. The techniques that I use to create my objects prior to casting have been inspired by some of the processes used in production design and prosthetics. This methodology of approaching art making through my obsession with film has provided me with the foundation for my project this year.
A key issue that I have addressed in these works, is the reconciliation of two methods that I have been experimenting with throughout the year – construction and baking. I have employed the language of brick making and bricklaying to objects that have been cast and baked in my kitchen. Unorthodox materials such as sugar, salt, baking soda and citric acid when encrusted with hair provoke discomfort around consuming bodily debris. The bricks form the foundation of the work, yet feed into it, as truncated loaves of bread ready to slice into and wrap around a candied ear. By integrating two vastly different methods, I aim to demonstrate a transgression of material limitations.
