Exploration

Shelby Fleming

Exploration

Previously my work has addressed flaws in anatomy that make us individuals. Disabilities, illness, or complications affect our life style and how we interact with the world around us. This idea of illustrating flaws in anatomy converged with my fascination for Micro Biology. In this, scanned elector microscope images of cellular structures began to enter my work in the form of bone cells or more specifically Osteoporosis.

Though anatomy is still predominant in my work, I am approaching it from a new perspective that allows me to expand the breath of my work by exploring new concepts, materials, and how art exists.  A few themes that emerged through this exploration include: childhood phobia, fragility of the individual, genetics, gender roles, grotesque beauty, and “the other.”

In the gender role concept, I look to break down stereotypical roles associated with male and female to create an equality. To achieve this, I reverse the role and environment of each gender in hopes to reach more of an understanding and respect for the other. In the Men Working, performance I look to raise questions of why are there no women workers on this site? Why are women workers tasked with holding signs in construction environments? Why do women’s tools, and clothing tend have unfunctional or unnecessary designs? (example: lighter hammers that cannot hammer anything, fake pockets in pants)

Grotesque beauty I define as evoking a since of disgust, pleasure, and repulsion all in one. It is the car wreck that you slow down to stare at or the moldy green bread that surprises you when you go to make a sandwich. “The other” also plays into this element of surprise, but is more abstract in my mind, the object or experience is unknown. This foreign material or body evokes a feeling of wonder and sublime but also discomfort and tension.

Material has played an important role in evoking a since of Grotesque beauty or “the other.” Neon color has been a consistent media throughout this exploration as it alters the environment that it occupies weather it is worn in a performance or manifests its self in two or three-dimensional works.  Other materials have included fabric, panty hose, foam, bubble wrap, brick, plaster, pvc pipe, toothpicks, found objects, mirror, jello, sunscreen, artificial floral, cardboard, kool-aid, wire, and plastic.

New methods of construction have caused me to question my preconceived ideas of how art should exist. These construction methods include digital fabrication, digital media, readymade and performance. The readymade, digital fabrication and digital media removes the artists hand which, in the past, I have relied on extensively. Performance has also opened a new avenue and means for communicating ideas.