Wearable Body Sculptures
HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER
The collection takes its inspiration from the lines "To see a world in a grain of sand / And a heaven in a wild flower," which speaks of the interconnectedness of all things in nature, and the vast depths of meaning that can be found in even the smallest and seemingly insignificant things. The lines are from William Blake’s poem, ‘"Auguries of Innocence"which is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the themes of nature, innocence, and the corruption of society.
The Body Sculptures in this collection feature artworks showing flora and fauna, vast blue skies. All juxtaposed with text of the poetry lines from Auguries of Innocence.
In addition to the body plates, this collection includes a Kinetic/Robotic headpiece, where petals of a flower open and close, mimicking the blooming of a flowers in nature. On the side of the hand blocked headpiece are fragments of typographical art with inscriptions of the first stanza of the poem that inspires this collection. The operation of the flower movement and of the LED lights is remotely controlled with the help of a phone app. See a video of the headpiece, A Heaven in a Wild Flower
Photography: CAMELLEON.PHOTO, Models: CLARICE FURNISS, GEORGE HONNOR
THINGS WE CARRY ON THE SEA
This collection is based on Professor Wang Ping’s poem, ‘Things we carry on the sea’. The poem describes the experiences of refugees fleeing war and persecution, who are forced to carry with them only the bare essentials as they embark on a perilous journey across the sea. Through vivid and poignant imagery, Wang Ping captures the complexity and depth of the human experience, reminding us of the resilience and courage that can be found even in the darkest of times.
As an immigrant, I was deeply affected by the current political climate and the rhetoric around, ‘small boats’, which demonises refugees, ignore human rights and the root causes of forced migration, including war, persecution, and economic hardship. That’s how this collection came about.
At a time when the world is facing unprecedented levels of displacement and forced migration, it is more important than ever to uphold the principles of compassion, empathy, and human dignity.
Click to see a video of the headpiece in this collection
Photography: KEITH MITCHELL & SANDRA WESOLOWSKA, Models: CLARICE FURNISS, GEORGE HONNOR, KLAUDIA LUKASINKA
MYSTERIOUS VOIDS
This collection is inspired by black holes and all the fascinating and bizarre theories surrounding them. I had been pulled in and lured by the immense gravity of these mysterious phenomena while reading some quantum physics books and this fascination manifested itself in the warping and bending of these body forms in my hands. Does information get lost forever in a black hole or does it escape like the Hawking radiation and live forever somewhere?
ICARUS
“Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight, For the greatest tragedy of them all, Is never to feel the burning light.”
Inspired by the above poetry lines attributed to Oscar Wilde, these body and head sculptures are all about taking risks and experiencing the distant lengths and depths of your creativity, courage, and spirit. Featuring bold unconventional shapes, these avant garde ensembles are hand sculpted out of SHANDANA’s signature materials and exhibit her unique blend of text and form.
Explore the collection here