2007 Porcelain, Ball-Jointed. One of a kind Costumed. China-painted features and body blush. 13.5” tall. Completed in 210 hours. Removable costume.
Materials: Crown-Sterling Silver, 24k gold plate, 6 Ruby, 9 Garnet, 4 Sapphire and 5 Moonstone Cabochons. Gown- 1,158.00 Fresh Water Pearls, 698 Austrian crystals, 105 Garnets, 53 Amethysts, 6 Rubies, 4 Sapphires, 5 Moonstones, Indian Silk, Indian wire embroidery, Silk hair.
Agnetha is based on a fictional character of the Princess, from Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.
In the story she is referred to only as the “Princess” and that she was beautiful and resembled the Little Mermaid. She is perceived as the antagonist of the story, because of her indirect involvement in Little Mermaid’s sad fate. As a child I had always sympathized with her involuntary situation and wandered about what that princess looked like and why the Prince choose her over the Mermaid. I wanted to name that nameless Other Woman and give her a face.
And here she is-Agnetha, the daughter of a neighboring king, a wife of political alliance and genuine affection.
In giving up a fundamental part of her personality- her ability to speak, the Little Mermaid had made the mistake of so many infatuated, teenage girls and put all her bets on her physical appearance to win the Prince’s heart. Although her surreal beauty enchanted the Prince, he could never take her seriously and commit to her as an equal partner. She was a beautiful but a hollow vessel to him without her ability for meaningful, verbal communication and her referred to her as his “Dumb foundling”. (Andersen) So he married a woman who had more to offer than just looks.
The moral here I believe, is that like Beauty, Discourse is Power. Power, over people’s minds, hearts and lives.
2008
13.5” tall
Work in progress
Materials: Porcelain, Ball-jointed.13.5” tall. China-paint and body blush. Natural Mohair/Silk. Steel springs. Leather joint lining. The porcelain is engraved with a needle while still raw, fired and then china paint is rubbed into the grooves. Accents are added in additional layers.
And my all time favourite is the Frankenstein Bride, she is a beau with those deep blue eyes that sucks my soul and her gown is so amazing, with so much details. My solute to Marina Bychkova, you are the greatest.
2008
13.5” tall
Work in Progress
I like to challenge conventional imagery of known literary characters, and provide an alternative view of how they might have looked. The reason my Bride is blonde, is to contrast the iconic image of the movie's version, and also to play on the idea of the body's low Melanin levels. I imagine that when she was alive she was bright and vibrant with dark eyes and raven hair, but the postmortem trauma to her body and the mechanical process of reanimating her corpse had changed its molecular composition. I think that being blasted with several thousand volts of electricity would contribute to that also. The metal helmet is her life support and what keeps her dead brain artificially alive by pumping oxygen into it and zapping it with small amounts of electricity to maintain its basic functions. It acts like a pump and a defibrillator.
This project was inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, while the helmet in particular was inspired the Steampunk culture, as well as Camelia D'Errico's and James Christensen's work. The bridal gown is rendered in the style of Erte.
