Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Unravelling the Message

Over the past few months you'll have seen glimpses of this as I've tried to work through ideas...
 
 
Different facial expressions stitched in black on calico...

 
And then contrasting faces worked in full colour in the form of theatrical masks.


 
The fun part has been putting it all together

 
It started out as such a clear idea in my head in response to the title of an exhibition... and seeing it work has been really exciting. I wasn't sure it would.

 
Coded : Decoded
It is thought that facial expressions are the most universal forms of body language. There is evidence of the universality of facial expressions linked to common emotions such as joy, anger, fear, surprise, sadness etc. We grow up learning how to read these expressions and our own behaviour is informed by our interpretation of this unspoken language. Yet for the individual on the autistic spectrum it can be a minefield and effective communication becomes impossible. What do these expressions really mean?


 
Coded:Decoded
unravelling the message
Prism at the Mall Galleries
27th - 31st May
 
Maybe I'll see you there?

18 comments:

  1. I would love to be able to come to the exhibition and see your wonderful faces for myself. They are full of life and expression - absolutely stunning. The masks are such a clever contrast to the faces.

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  2. You did an great job. BRAVO Gina!
    What you said about the meaning of these facial expressions on the autistic level is so true. Added to that on everyday life some of us tend to put on a mask in order to hide how they feel inside: some pretend to be happy, other pretend to as tough as a nail, some pretend to be nice ... but that's another debate.
    I really wish I could see the exhibition, unfortunately ...
    Have a nice day and a very interesting exhibition.

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  3. Oh, well done you. Makes me think of that expression we've all used, 'It's written all over your face'.

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  4. These look fabulous. I was intrigued to see how it all fitted together, and now we know!

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  5. This is all so clever and shows the breadth of your thinking as an artist and your talent in machine embroidery. I hope it gets lots of comments.

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  6. Gina, I don't think that this expression exploration has any defined boundary. If such might be on the horizon for human faces, then it would be fun to explore expressions on the faces of all sorts of other animals.

    Will you be buying more thread? How I wish I could see the exhibit. xo

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  7. The end result if this project is amazing, the contrast of the machine worked feces and the masks is brilliant, well done.

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  8. A great deal of thought has gone into this work Gina. Your research has added to the pieces and I plan to visit the exhibition next week. Prism artists always surprise me and I look forward to seeing your exhibit.

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  9. I would love to see these for real, you have done such a great job. Having taught children with autism I know how hard it i for them to read faces. Yours would make an excellent teaching resource.

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  10. This is such a wonderful concept for exploring Gina and I love your interpretation. Best wishes for the exhibition x

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  11. Such a clever idea! I hope the exhibition goes well.

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  12. Wow. You're so talented - best wishes for the exhibition. I hope you meet lots of lovely people.
    Sarah.

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  13. I hope the exhibition goes well, wish I could get down to see it.

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  14. I really enjoyed seeing the exhibition yesterday. Your work looked fab and it was really nice knowing the background to it. The quality of your stitching and the control you have over the machine is amazing! I'm not jealous.....much!

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  15. It's been a privilege to see glimpses of this work developing. I hope you enjoy what I'm sure will be a successful exhibition x

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  16. I never cease to be amazed by the quality and originality of your work. I do hope that the exhibition is successful.

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