Nylon People

This project originally begun in my first year of university, 2015, I created a life size doll from stuffing nylon tights with anything I could find; kitchen roll, spare duvets and used makeup wipes. I had created a set of limbs which I then crudely sewn together with a needle and thread, giving the doll a very disturbing feel to it. I feel as though this doll became more than just a sculpture, from spending countless hours sewing into it's "flesh", I had created a being that would sit in the corner of the room, almost a person that people couldn't resist interacting with. Using the scraps of material I had from the original doll, I made a much smaller doll in proportion to a baby which I used alongside the original doll for the Dolls in landscapes series of photographs. When taking the doll out in public, the reactions of people ranged so dramatically from some asking if I had committed murder to others being too shocked and afraid to come closer. It wasn't until a few weeks after taking the photograph series that I fully understood the impact of the doll in some of the surroundings, the photos allure to scenes of devastation, murder and rape. At this point I decided to create another doll, I chose to make a male version that would be larger than the original. In my opinion, and unintentionally, this doll became a lot less "human", the limbs were floppy, whereas the original was more sturdy and durable. To try and amend this I made a spine like structure from expanding foam and inserted it into the back of the male doll. Although making it sit up, this has exaggerated the strange qualities of the doll. Something that really interests me when working with this project is seeing people's reactions to my work, I try to encourage people to interact with the dolls, to pick them up or move them, however some have refused saying that the're too creepy.