Felicity Maxwell

For this project, I took a lot of time to sit with myself and think about how I wanted to represent who I am in this piece of work. I created a mood board full of images and people that I felt closely represented what I care about. It surrounded subjects such as; the balance between masculine and feminine, breaking barriers about what it means to be female in a patriarchal society, and reimagining female sexuality as something much more authentic and raw than the culture’s construct. A large influence for this project was the poem “The Crone” by Maya Luna. I had the idea to use metal because it’s an element that comes from the ground. I felt it represented the earthiness of femininity. The frame took a day to weld together and the metal feathers took over a week to hand-cut. I modeled the wings myself because I wanted to convey my passion and intensity in the pictures. I feel that these wings represent my true self. Our society is hell-bent on making us afraid to show who we truly are, but as we grow, we realize that who we actually are is much more beautiful and glamorous than any fake identity we may have. As I look at these wings, I think of a Phoenix – a mythological bird who’s wings catch fire as it dies, and thus is reborn out of the ashes. This period of my life has carried a tremendous amount of growth for me, and I’ve had to die to myself to be free of the constraints of my thoughts and identities. This project reminds me of my own constant cycle of death and rebirth, and as unyielding as it can feel, every ounce of torment is worth it.