Leave Me Speechless

Research statement

Leave Me Speechless is a mixed media sculpture of a woman’s head placed on a platter. The head is a silicon cast hand painted with a mix of silicone paints and oil paints with added false lashes and a blonde wig. Her eyes are closed in a moment of rest and she appears to the viewer as well preserved after death. The piece is accompanied by three body parts: a heart, a stomach, and a tongue sitting on top of an older dark brown table. They are arranged in an altar- like position around the head to show the false remorse for her depth, as if to honor her but still not showing respect.

My research focused on the concepts of sexual assault, cannibalism, consumption of the female body, and toxic romance. I wanted to research this topic because of its personal ties to my life and my current body of work which focuses on similar topics. I often work with softer to the touch materials like silicone and fabric to contrast with the themes. This further pushes viewers to question the deeper meaning of my work. I do this in this piece by using light natural colors and features valued in American beauty standards such as blonde hair and minimal makeup. This also gives details about the life she may have had and the personality traits held by her. I wanted the viewer to be able to project their own beliefs into her but still show my slight narrative. These also visually contrast with the deep reds and pinks of the organs and the dark wood of the table. 

With in horror media cannibalism is often a stand-in for sexual assault, romance and consumerism/ capitalism. In the creation of the piece I wanted to focus on its use in depicting sexual assault and relationships. Cannibalism is often used to show the concept of sexual assault because of it is all encompassing in a way similar to love. It acts as a removal from bodily autonomy by removing the women from her body all together. There has been a rise in media made about cannibalism as well with shows like Yellow Jackets and movies like Fresh, Raw, Jennifer’s Body, and Bones and All (4). It can also be heard in albums like Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter(2) and Melanie Martinez’s Portals(3). A common theme in all of these is that cannibalism is used to show relationships between people with most being about hetero-romantic relationships. It acts as the greatest violation someone can make and an ultimate ending. In Barbara Creed’s Book Return of the Monstrous feminine(1) , She explains how cannibalism is seen as the biggest taboo, playing on sexuality and the overall meaning of what it is that makes us human. She makes parallels to eating human flesh and eating animals and how cannibalism in movies is used to degrade the person being consumed by stripping them of that level of humanity. 

To be consumed, within the confines of horror and art, can mean to be loved or to be fully taken over. When it's shown in the context of a relationship it can represent abuse that turns deadly and overpowering. In Ethel Cain’s album Preacher’s Daughter(2), the character Ethel Cain is telling the story of her life from her religious upbringing to her toxic relationship that lead to her death and cannibalization, in the song Sun Bleached Flies, she sings about how Ethel still blames herself for being quiet during her life, saying it was just the way her father raised her to be. Quiet and submissive, this type of standard placed on women leads to toxic relationships and in the worst of times it leads to death. 

With my piece I hope to open discussions about sexual assault and the effects that it has on our society as a whole. The woman in my piece has been forced into submission and her ability to say no has been stripped from her but our isn’t. We can still say no, we don’t have to remain speechless. 

Citations 

1) Return of the Monstrous-Feminine: Feminist New Wave Cinema// Barbara Creed// 2022

2) Preacher’s Daughter//Ethel Cain// 2022

3) Portals// Melanie Martinez// 2023

4) Cannibalism is consuming pop culture. What does it all mean?// Hanna Flint//2023

5) Monster Pains: Masochism, Menstruation, and Identification in the Horror Film.// Aviva Briefel/2005