So this was not one of my most successful experiments, let’s just say that for starters! I was working off the basis of the Fat Girls Can’t Wear White Pants concept, trying to push and experiment with this idea in a new way. I was attempting to generate shape and texture, moving on from just photographs. I had the idea to cast my body itself so I could create patterns and play with shape and volume.
I began by moulding the ‘belly roll’ I get when I sit down, something that is always picked apart. This links back to body shaming celebrities in the media and this idea of certain body shapes being more ideal than others. I used an alginate moulding method with plaster bandage on the area. This is just where my problems started, it isn’t an easy task to do alone and I really should have asked for help!
I then built a casing from a cardboard box to create the negative mould. This took a long time and a lot of tape to make sure it wouldn’t leak! But for a first attempt, I did pretty well and I actually had no spills whatsoever! I then filled the mould with plaster of paris, which I ran out of…so the mould didn’t quite fill up and meant it cracked in half when I pulled it out. So yeh….I literally have just chunks of plaster with a bit of a skin-like texture
I actually like the concept of this, I just need to figure out a better method. I think it would be fun to use a material where I could block hats on or take patterns from it! So, in theory…a win….in practise….a complete fail. I don’t even have enough to take a proper photo…