Surfacing fat : adiposity as adornment

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis provides a critical discussion of, and motivation for, my jewellery practice, inwhich fat from the human body is transformed into adornment. Drawing on Julia Kristeva'stheory of 'abjection', this research scrutinises the grotesque status of body substances inthe modern media, with the intention of changing viewer reactions to these substancesfrom repulsion to aesthetic enjoyment. I consider the influence of popular culture, whereidealised bodies are promoted as 'better' than non-normative body types, and thenconsider how (or whether) the abject remainders of the 'ideal body' can successfully berefigured as adornment. In order to situate my practical Masters work in the wider field ofcontemporary avant-garde jewellery practice, I study the work of select jewellers, who alsorefer to, or use, body substances in critical ways in their work. Through this, I hope toscrutinise both normative notions of the body and of jewellery as adornment.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University