Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C, case Y, shelf 70, box D
I have a lot of problems with this poster.
First of all, why are women always casted as the evil temptresses (a female is literally being represented by a scull)?
Second, the blame is completely shifted onto women?
There is obviously a bias that it is okay for men to be promiscuous but not for women. Even in the second poster it assumes that brides are all supposed to be, “perfect virgins” and a man can still sleep around.
Both of these posters assume that all sexual relationships are heterosexual
The second poster assumes that the point of every marriage is to procreate
“The British Ministry of Health’s campaign against the spread of venereal disease (VD) during the Second World War of 1939-1945 warned men in the armed forces of the risks involved in casual sex, particularly when undertaken with promiscuous (‘easy’) women or prostitutes. ‘VD. The “easy” girlfriend’ is a grim reminder of the ever-presence of syphilis in what seems a macabre trio of death (symbolised by the skull), exotic sexual encounter (in the fleshy , sexual orchid) and feminine attraction (the pink veil).” The British Ministry of Health’s campaign against the spread of venereal disease (VD) during World War II warned men in the armed forces of the risks involved in casual sex, particularly when undertaken with promiscuous (‘easy’) women or prostitutes. ‘Here Comes the Bride’ reminds the male viewer of his social – and personal – responsibilities, and places the woman in the role of innocent virgin bride, in stark contrast with its companion poster, ‘VD, the easy girlfriend’ (E.2914-1995).
“This is one of several printed gowns made by Yin Lam as part of her contribution to Masquerade (1998), a project commissioned and staged by the London Printworks Trust (LPT), based in Brixton, south London. LPT is a community-based workshop which provides facilities to artists to work with print and fabric; it also has a dedicated outreach programme. Masquerade was an interactive exhibition which involved the setting up of a boutique in Brixton market. A number of artists, including Yin Lam, were commissioned to produce garments for the boutique. Passers-by were invited in to try on the clothes and have themselves photographed against specially-designed backdrops. The garments were often outrageous or provocative, designed not only to transform a sense of self, but also to break taboos and to question stereotypes.
Yin Lam chose to modify a number of surgical gowns (some green cloth, others white paper) by screenprinting them with images of naked bodies, male and female, black, white and Asian. These were produced as T-shirt sizes, knee-length gowns and full-length gowns. At the time she made these, she was already suffering from lupus, the disease which caused her early death, and had spent much time in hospital. Using the gowns was a way of addressing the changes she was experiencing in her own body, as well as offering others the opportunity to try living in someone else’s ‘skin’. They also suggest a frankness and openness about physical realities, and a deliberate rejection of conventional ideals of ‘the nude’ and the air-brushed perfection of the bodies which feature in advertising. Each of the bodies she chose to photograph and reproduce were those of professional models, but as well as those she described in the catalogue as ‘slim’ or ‘curvaceous’ or ‘athletic’, she also chose others who were overweight or had scars.”
Yin Lam’s work reminds me a lot of Jo Spence’s. Both deal with disease and body image in quite clever ways. Both works also deal with societal expectations and what is considered to be “beautiful” and, “normal”.
Yin Lam and Jo Spence seem to be deeply emotionally disturbed or discontent. Both were sick and had to deal with their realities and the fact that their bodies would be forever changed. Though the mediums are different, I see similarities in the use of medical visuals as well. Lam uses medical gowns and Spence uses her surgery scars.
Both of these garments are unfortunately in storage.
1998 Handbag designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.
On display in room 40 at the V&A.
“In 1998, Chanel released Karl Lagerfield’s ‘2005’ handbag, the descendant of the 2.55 created by Gabrielle Chanel in 1955 and still influential half a century on. Using the latest technology, its rigid lightweight polyethylene shell is clothed by hand over an aluminium frame in tight black jersey, tweed or leather. Formed to sit comfortably against the hips, its shape also recalls the female body, while its interior is a fetishistic dream, with corset-style laced mobile phone holder, zips and pockets.”
What peaked my interest in this piece is the corset-inspired lining (because I make a lot of corsets, and they interest me) and the odd shape.
I’m not sure how I feel about it being described as a, “fetishistic dream” though. I also think that saying the shape, “recalls the female body” is somewhat problematic because it assumes that all females have curvy figures. Also, the connection between the female body and fetishism is prevalent in this piece, which is troublesome to me, as female bodies are constantly being objectified. I need to see this piece in person and marinate in my thoughts a bit more, but it is an interesting conversation piece.
Jo Spence is a female, feminist artist who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982.
She made a series of self-portraits documenting her battle with the disease until she passed from leukemia a decade later. The photographs expressed her physical and emotional state. Her doctor and collaborator Tim Sheard explained, ‘Spence is representing the honest emotions felt living in an unruly body that cannot conform to the pressures of female perfection expected and idealised in Western society.’
Working with artist and psychoanalyst Rosy Martin, Spence developed a co-counselling practice they called ‘Phototherapy’, which aimed to resolve emotional issues, anxieties or past traumatic experiences through role play and photographic portraiture.
The Following Photos are from her collections, “Narratives of Dis-Ease” and “Libido Uprising“
I want to explore her work this week because I am interested in the human form and how it is or can be changed or altered. In the past I’ve also been quite interested in body altering techniques as well (corsetry/surgery).
Moreover, my mother suffered from breast cancer, and I saw first hand the psychological effects that it can have on a woman’s relationship with her body. I’m interested in exploring these kind of mind/body relationships
Samantha's RCA Process 