Period.
Senior Exhibition | January 2020
This was my solo show for my BFA at Siena Heights University. The show was titled Period., and aimed to challenge the stigmas that surround menstruation. I used soft sculpture and installation to create a space that encouraged conversation about menstruation and its effects on the body and mind. The tactile interaction with these works appeals to the instinctive need to touch and experience a textile work, which also aids in strengthening the communication of the concepts presented.
Menstruation is not just a female issue it’s a human issue.
Print Design
Every part of Period. was touchable and interactive, I wanted this to translate throughout the design aspects of the show. Not only did this come through in imagery, but also in thinking about where this information would be found. For example, I placed the flyers for the show on all the bathroom doors to not only provoke, but also have people interact with it as they entered and left.
Exhibition Statement
Don’t cough. And whatever you do, don’t sneeze. Am I leaking? Do they know? They must know. How do I hide it?
Period. explores and examines cultural taboos associated with menstruation. Throughout the installation, yarn and fabric are used in the interactive soft sculpture to represent comfort and involve viewers in an uncomfortable conversation. These materials reveal the conflict between art and craft, commenting on the social construct of “womanhood” in a postmodern context.
Viewers interact with the soft sculpture to create a moment of self-awareness and contemplation of the body. Circular and oval shapes represent the cyclical pattern of menstruation, though not used to represent a strictly “female” anatomy. Yarn wraps around the structures creating tension and distorting its form, alluding to the tension and distortion put on the body.
Menstruation is not just a female issue it happens in all body types. We need to recognize the varying shades of menstruation and realize it’s not a curse but a human experience.
Poster and Flyer
Gallery Shots
Below are shots of the full exhibition and promotional material.
