The mythical, the spiritual, and the corporeal

So you've at least had a peek at a bit of Ex Corpore on yesterday's post. Maybe you've even been in to the gallery to see the show yourself. What do you think? The feelings this exhibition provokes are probably not those of the warm and fuzzy type. An uneasy feeling is more probable. And that's just fine. You might even contend that this is exactly the point.

As art has served to do throughout time Carol and WhiteFeather's work mirrors our world and points out what's happening around us, invoking us to think critically about our own understanding of the cultural and social issues that snar us. The pieces you will discover in Ex Corpore are intended to provoke contemplation, to encourage the viewer to consciously register their reactions, mull over their automatic thoughts and feelings brought on, and decipher why these pieces symbolize what they do to them. Through sculptural fibre-based works and assemblage of found and mixed media and organic materials, WhiteFeather and Collicutt address topics surrounding their identity as women and what physicality encompasses, the mythical, the spiritual, and the corporeal.

It is accurate to state that WhiteFeather creates intricately adorned little dolls. However, the sweet little Danish blonde haired, blue eyed cherubs that my grandmother crafted are not the imagery you're looking for. WhiteFeather's 'dolls' are created of materials like animal bones, human hair and bird feathers, among other materials. The juxtaposition of the materials and the context is unnerving at best, but it's exactly this contrast that speaks to us so starkly. The symbolism of disembodied hair and discarded body parts is strong. To take advantage of WhiteFeather's message and appreciate this exhibit, you need to dissect the symbolism. Consider why it is that the same long and shiny black hair on the head of a young woman is beautiful, but off the body (in your food, on your sweater, in your art) is repulsive? Disembodied pieces, materials WhiteFeather has referred to as 'material the spirit once inhabited', symbolize death to us, which in turn raises our fear of the unknown, and the superstitions and paranoia that accompany that fear. When WhiteFeather creates new bodies for these old and broken body parts it raises the kinds of questions around physical mortality that we generally prefer to avoid. These dolls are eerily neither 'here nor there'. They too will grow old and decay, but what of their spirit then? What of their spirit now? We can't put our finger on what happens to the spirit after life, and body parts after death are grating symbols of that unknown. As a general rule humans hate the unknown. It bothers us and we create theories to explain it. What is rational and irrational blurs. WhiteFeathers 'Alma' takes all of these reactions to another level entirely. At life size, she is much more impossible to downplay or ignore than the smaller pieces. And she has a bunnytail. And not of the Hugh Hefner variety.

Carol's work also reminds us of our own mortality and the questions and fears we have around it. How do we handle the deterioration and decay of our own bodies? As a culture we respond with an obsession in beauty and youth. An evolutionary standpoint would remind you of our origins, tell you that health, vigor, flawless beauty are obviously the most attractive and desirable choice because they are signifiers of the heartiest mate, that we are genetically predisposed to choose flawless for the best chances for our lineage, for the survival of our spawn. This lingering mindframe results in a desperate fight against disease and ill-health, and maybe even more profusely against even the symbols of aging. Our feelings of self-worth can be derived by a culturally dictated view of our bodies and fear drives decisions to options like elective surgical interventions, which really only mask the aging. As Collicutt presents it, you realize this is the ultimate mashing of external and internal influences on our bodies. In spite of our extreme attempts to present an outward appearance of youth we are still encased in bodies that inevitably wear old. Disease that requires surgical intervention is a crisis that is all encompassing for us, our physical bodies and mental states and cultural ideals are inextricably interwoven. In 'Damaged' Collicutt addresses gender specific ailments and diseases such as breast cancer and hysterectomies. Carol's scar tissue artwork consists of removed ages spots and scars framed in embroidery hoops and again we see these familiar materials of 'women's work' out of context and alluding to our art of denying aging. Like our reaction to WhiteFeather's dolls we would rather not look at changes in our bodies that remind us of our own decay, we would rather cut them out, just get rid of them, and maybe we can escape death altogether also.