And She Gathered All before Her
As is well known, in the face of the passage of time and human desire to shape reality, gender has been assigned colossal importance. The number of stereotypes, myths on this subject could be the topic of a separate work, while I decided to take a closer look at the situation of contemporary women - the generation closest to me. I got the impression that we, women are often still raised to perform certain roles imposed on us by others. My educational path allowed me to experience a diversity of environments and come into contact with phenomena that aim to shape an attitude of obedience. In the Polish language, there is an expression golden girl, describing to a significant extent the phenomenon I study in my work. Taught to meet other people's expectations, she lives in a perpetual obligation to take care of everyone around her, wanting to please others and to satisfy their needs - consequently neglecting herself.
Judy Chicago's work The Dinner Party became the main inspiration for the title of my diploma. It was created in the 1970s. Currently housed in the Brooklyn Museum exemplifies one of the earliest and most significant works of feminist art. This long-term installation is a very elegantly arranged dinner with table settings for 39 women. The main piece of furniture not coincidentally took the form of a triangle - a symbol of equality. On the floor in gold ink were inscribed 999 consecutive female
names and surnames. In most of ceramics tableware the decoration is intertwined with a vaginal motif. The supper is splendidly prepared; at the entrance we see tapestries from which we read the following poem:
names and surnames. In most of ceramics tableware the decoration is intertwined with a vaginal motif. The supper is splendidly prepared; at the entrance we see tapestries from which we read the following poem:
And She Gathered All before Her
And She made A Sign to See
And Io They saw a Vision
From this day forth Like to like in All things
And then all that divided them merged
And then Everywhere was Eden Once again
And She made A Sign to See
And Io They saw a Vision
From this day forth Like to like in All things
And then all that divided them merged
And then Everywhere was Eden Once again
I interpret those words as a tribute to women herstory writers and an invitation to all of us, to live in equality and harmony. The title of my work is a quote, coming from the first line of the the poem. The fact of placing it on such a precisely and laboriously crafted object, (once inaccessible to women due to the type of stitch) alludes to the painstaking processes we go through during gold plating. The routine and diligence needed to embroider tapestries, brings to mind the making of honey - a material in which
hundreds of bees are involved. Chicago looks back, elevating the unforgettable figures of women with the courage to shape their reality according to their own rules. Similarly, I focus on processes beginning hundreds of years ago, as well as contemporaries, exploring the history of my family and my own womanhood.
hundreds of bees are involved. Chicago looks back, elevating the unforgettable figures of women with the courage to shape their reality according to their own rules. Similarly, I focus on processes beginning hundreds of years ago, as well as contemporaries, exploring the history of my family and my own womanhood.
Chandelier
video, made on 8mm film (00:01:30)
creative direction, violin: Julia Sokolowska light: Maks Adamczyk, Kamil Kiewel camera: Kamil Kiewel
video, made on 8mm film (00:01:30)
creative direction, violin: Julia Sokolowska light: Maks Adamczyk, Kamil Kiewel camera: Kamil Kiewel
Several years after giving up playing the violin, I am performing a piece with which I ended a 6-year education, started at the age of 6 - Concertino in A minor, by Rene Ortmans. In the theater space under renovation, next to an abandoned chandelier, dressed in my mother's gown, I measure myself against the predestination to be a soloist. Body memory revives, I play the piece from memory. The silhouette, distorted forever by the game, moves only within the range delineated by the instrument. Violin won't make sound without rosin. Projection on analogue projector emphasizes the puppet-like nature of the game.
Scaffolding
photography, 45x60cm, printed on matte, 310 Hahnemuhle paper
Several years after giving up the violin, I am performing a piece with which I ended my 6-year
education, begun at the age of 6 - Concertino in A minor, by Rene Ortmans. In the theater space under
renovation, next to an abandoned chandelier, dressed in my mother's gown, I measure myself against the predestination to be a
soloist. Body memory revives, I play the piece from memory. The silhouette, distorted forever by the game,
moves only within the range delineated by the instrument. A look from behind the lowered curtain at the space that shapes our spine.
education, begun at the age of 6 - Concertino in A minor, by Rene Ortmans. In the theater space under
renovation, next to an abandoned chandelier, dressed in my mother's gown, I measure myself against the predestination to be a
soloist. Body memory revives, I play the piece from memory. The silhouette, distorted forever by the game,
moves only within the range delineated by the instrument. A look from behind the lowered curtain at the space that shapes our spine.
Golden girl. Honey for the heart.
video (00:08:19), a gold bar made of rosin
technical assistance: Monika Słomczyńska, UAP Plastics Workshop
creative direction, performing: Julia Sokolowska camera: Kamil Kiewel
We freeze turning into statues in our lifetime, immobilized by others' expectations. Gilding begins in the space of the house. The sweetness of honey blocks out oxygen. Gold foreign to corporeality. A violin without rosin won't make a sound. The sound of falling heavy drops.
video (00:08:19), a gold bar made of rosin
technical assistance: Monika Słomczyńska, UAP Plastics Workshop
creative direction, performing: Julia Sokolowska camera: Kamil Kiewel
We freeze turning into statues in our lifetime, immobilized by others' expectations. Gilding begins in the space of the house. The sweetness of honey blocks out oxygen. Gold foreign to corporeality. A violin without rosin won't make a sound. The sound of falling heavy drops.
Glass made of rosin with a thickness of about 4 cm. The pot from which I applied honey and in which I melted rosin. Design characteristic of the 1980s in Poland.
Golden Girl Collection
sketchbook 29x37 cm
collaboration with fashion designer Alex Gajel
sketchbook 29x37 cm
collaboration with fashion designer Alex Gajel
Silhouette Men prefer blondes from Golden Girl collection
creation made of latex and llama fur
my collaboration with fashion designer Alex Gajel
Latex form cast directly from my body, distorted forever by several years of playing on the violin. How to get rid of a foreign element from the body? A silhouette made with the idea of performative hair shaving. The latex layer was radically rejected by my skin. Such as I refuse being a golden girl in the adult life.
creation made of latex and llama fur
my collaboration with fashion designer Alex Gajel
Latex form cast directly from my body, distorted forever by several years of playing on the violin. How to get rid of a foreign element from the body? A silhouette made with the idea of performative hair shaving. The latex layer was radically rejected by my skin. Such as I refuse being a golden girl in the adult life.
