Kiki & Bouba
Kiki & Bouba was my first real dive into the interactive art world. I had learned of a psychology experiment involving words called “Kiki” and “Bouba”. People were presented with two shapes one spiky and one rounded and they were given two names:” Kiki” and “Bouba”. Around 95% of the studied people chose “Kiki” for the sharp shape and “Bouba” for the round one. I wanted to extend this experiment into the 3D world and gave them form. My main idea was to observe how people interacted with them. Were they more likely to touch Bouba because she’s friendly? Or were they more intrigued by the pointiness of Kiki? I added thermal colour changing paint to their ends to be a little reward or encouragement for the interactions.
Year
2023
Material
Polyurethane plastic, plaster bandage,
thermal paint
Touch-Me-Not
Touch-Me-Not is a piece made to comment on the objectification of women in art. When it came to making her, I was thinking about the material, bronze. Bronze statues become polished when touched over and over by people because of our natural oils and when the statue is of a woman her breasts or butt are often what’s been touched. I wanted to amplify this feeling of grossness and defencelessness by taking away her limbs and head, giving her no identity and no autonomy. I was also looking at the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory statues as reference for this piece.
Year
2023
Material
Bronze
Janus
Janus is a piece made to reflect transition. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions and more and is often depicted with having two faces, one faces the past, and the other, the future. I made this piece when I felt I was in a transitional period for my art. I hadn’t been fully connected to what I wanted yet, and maybe I’m still not but I need to stay present during this time. Janus has thermal colour changing paint on her so that as you transition you can see yourself reflected on her. I would like to turn this idea into a gate one day so that you can physically walk through the piece.
Year
2023
Material
Polyurethane foam, resin, thermal paint