Dusk to Dawn
WOMAN. MONSTER
Lora Nankivell
About the work
On a large public wall, a projected face is symbolically cut off from its body - a feature-length close-up to be examined and inspected. WOMAN. MONSTER is an unedited one-shot video of a woman confronting a substance consisting of oats, which has been poured onto her from above. Traditionally a grain used to nourish our internal and external bodies, the oat substance in its excess becomes grotesque and uncomfortable both to feel and to see, irritating the skin and eyes while distorting facial features and dragging them far beyond the functions of self-care and cosmetics. Influenced by old Irish myths; the Hag of Beara and the Madness of Mis, as well as horror movies; Kitchen Sink, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and The Substance – this video work probes into the historical and current obsession with the female face.
The work aims to inspire questions and emotions about how women are perceived when they are anything more or less than palatable according to an ever-changing and increasingly anti-human standard, and what that costs everyone financially, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
