Faculty of Art

Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies

Olivia Pare

Transgression

A series of three pieces: A structure displaying numerous doilies, a light box displaying a microscope image of blood and mould mixed together, and a microscope slide which this image was taken from.

“The home usually connotes safety and comfort. However, for the immunocompromised (such as those suffering from cancer) the home can be a hazardous place: pervaded by microbial threats. A microscope image of a mixture of blood and mould found in the home sits at the centre of this work. A large structure reminiscent of a microscope slide recreates this image through the domestic practice of crafting doilies. Doilies are traditionally used as a protectant, as a barrier between surfaces. This work actively contravenes this notion, transforming the doily, a representation of the home, from a comforting object into an abject one. The microscope slide from which the image was taken is also present. These three pieces work together to create a sense of conflict; the doilies are a source of beauty and an indication of the home, the microscope image further intrigues, and the microscope slide confronts viewers with revolting substances and, in turn, the realisation of their corporeal reality. This work explores the transgression of the bounds of the body, quite literally merging body and threat.”