Lepidoptera propriedae and Pleasance
The pieces displayed here are part of a larger body of work that has been evolving for many years. I employ Victorian sensibilities and conventions as well as inspiration from Lewis Carroll to drive my investigation of contemporary concerns regarding identity. I am interested in the concept of the façade and it’s psychological implications in the development of “self” within the confines of social expectation and prescriptions for behavior.
I am at once curious about the presentation, perception, and in the end preservation, of self and the duality or possibly multiplicity of layers one embodies. I am exploring interior (private)/ exterior (public) selves and the slippage or tension that may exist between the two. Lewis Carroll once saw a sign that he thought read, “romancement.” Upon drawing closer he realized it read “roman cement.” My work draws on this notion that things are often not what they seem. These works play with the very common Victorian convention of collecting, whether it be silhouettes, specimen samplings of butterflies, or photographs. Collections offered a symbol of status while also possibly being an external manifestation of an internal desire to contain or be “ordered” in one’s behavior. By creating these collections out of photographic images, I am able to examine the relation between an outer form and an inner image, highlighting the elusive space representative of what we present to (or perceive of) others and what is kept hidden.
Lepidoptera propriedae is a made up family of butterflies created from color photographs of 19th century etiquette texts, tea stained tracing paper, beeswax, polyurethane and specimen pins. What appears to be a collection of butterflies from afar is actually a collection of rules for prescribed behavior deemed “proper.” These pieces are multilayered within themselves, while also juxtaposing the natural world with that which is societally imposed.
The visual language I have created to look into these ideas seems at first glance subdued and simple. Yet there are many layers that require a patient viewing and inquiry. They speak of a necessity to look closer. I am continually prompted to look below the surface of things with the hope of gaining a deeper understanding of why we are who we are, and why one may do whatever it takes to maintain a “proper” appearance externally, sometimes even at the expense of internal conflict.
