Don’t Make a Mess on my Couch
House-hold Narratives Exhibition, Gallery North July 2017
65”x 45”x 35” Foam, pigmented silicone rubber, cast twin torso throw pillows, wood, stuffing, thread
Using a pink pigmented silicone rubber base material casted to mimic an upholstery fabric-like texture, a foam built couch sits reupholstered with two throw pillows. Being a genderqueer individual, I have always had intense anxiety about body in general but most specifically my breasts. Along with a hand-carved loveseat, I’ve created twin torso pillows which are casted from my own body and placed alongside each other on top the couch form. Each of these throw pillow forms sit in place of a person and face towards the rest of the gallery space, holding a conversation with the room. While the first pillow of the set is a current cast of my body, the other form is a duplicate that has been altered/cut into under the breast tissue, which is commenting on my wait listed top surgery. The second pillow has been torn open, violently exposing the stuffing that is seeping out and down onto the furniture creating a mess of overflowing stuffing.