Niara Knox
Wood Corset
Prompt: Wearable wood fashion or sculpture assignment (See attachment for student examples) lining up your idea/outcome using the Form Wheel diagram below:
For my wearable sculpture, I decided to make a wood corset. For my corset, I modeled each part to my specific body proportions so that when laced it would contract around my body and act as a proper corset even though wood is such a rigid material. The action of dividing is shown in my sculpture through the panels that make up the corset. In order to make it fit my body I had to divide the wood into sections or panels that I then connected to create the full piece. Without the lace each panel would be divided and separate from the other and even with the lace the sculpture is still visible divided. However with my use of staining and both the lace pattern and adornment the panels explicitly relate to each other and the division is not as apparent. The lace also adds to the division since it is a slightly different color for the panels which causes your attention to draw to the spaces in between, or the divides, of the panels. Similarly to contract, corsets are constructed to enclose the body. Through the way all the pieces come together in a circle, the sculptures actively enclose me when wearing it. I think the way each panel is laced together also adds to the visual enclosure of the piece. When all panels are connected, the wood creates an enclosure that’s only reinforced with the lace that holds it together. Overall I really enjoyed this project. I learned a lot about woodworking and fashion construction. I am really proud of how this sculpture/wearable object turned out with the lace staining. My vision for it was fulfilled and I learned a lot throughout the ideation to outcome process.