Bodies of knowledge
Knowledge of bodies
I’m between two practices. An ethnographic researcher who is learning the skills of portrait sculpture.
As my thinking – and my doing – increasingly bridge the two, I’ve started to see a conceptual resonance between them. I want to continue testing and theorising this relationship.
Whether in the role of portrait artist or anthropologist, one has to get under the skin of a sitter, a situation, or a given cultural setting in order to understand the underlying anatomy that informs what is seen at the surface.
Be they physical, emotional or social drivers: there are always complex dynamics at play, underlying superficial appearances.
The ‘craft’ of the practitioner is to discern which elements to draw out. How best to tell a story, characterise an individual, interpret a research site, or convey a critique? How to bring some new understanding through an act of representation.
In 2024/5 I’m grateful for support in developing this work from:
