Embodied Pain: an exegesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the postgraduate degree of Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract:
Embodying Pain is an examination of the nature of pain especially concerning those who experience chronic pain. This exegesis seeks to explore the relationship between identity, embodied self and pain through multidisciplinary creative research informed by psychology, philosophy, art history, medical research and an account of a sculptural practice which communicates the experience of pain to its viewers.
I examine the phenomenological, cultural qualities, and understandings of pain in order to determine what pain does and how it functions. I explore associated cultural narratives around the meanings and causes of pain, investigating the lack of consistency, and tension inherent to the embodied experience of pain. By engaging with the natural psychological tensions around understanding and experiencing pain, it can reveal the psychological repercussions of living in a body that has normalized pain.
My sculptural practice communicates the embodied experience of pain with attention to the tension and fragility of the body. This is communicated via explorations of the materiality of a largely clay based sculptural practice as well as the somatic nature of figures.
Installation 6C 8/19/2024
Sculpture Details
Drawings/Prints
