2009
computerized embroidery on remnant cosmetic facial peel, mixed media
9 H × 15 W × 1 D in (22.86 H × 38.1 W × 2.54 D cm)
Fan (Anatomy of the Gaze) is designed after a Victorian-style fan. The embroidery motif is based on the anatomy of the human retina. Rods, cones, and cells populate the radial structure of the hand fan. In the Victorian era, fans were used to communicate mostly flirtatious messages from women to their suitors. Twirling the fan in the left hand meant “we are being watched” and a fan in the left hand in front of the face meant "I am desirous of your acquaintance." Fan materializes a paradigm in which a woman is in a passive position of being watched by the male gaze while expressing desire and agency through the subtle movements of a fashion accessory.
Fan (Anatomy of the Gaze) is designed after a Victorian-style fan. The embroidery motif is based on the anatomy of the human retina. Rods, cones, and cells populate the radial structure of the hand fan. In the Victorian era, fans were used to communicate mostly flirtatious messages from women to their suitors. Twirling the fan in the left hand meant “we are being watched” and a fan in the left hand in front of the face meant "I am desirous of your acquaintance." Fan materializes a paradigm in which a woman is in a passive position of being watched by the male gaze while expressing desire and agency through the subtle movements of a fashion accessory.
...Laura Splan disturbs our notions of beauty and femininity by crafting traditionally feminine objects out of unpredictable materials. By using the body as material for textile-based craft, historically thought of as women’s work, Splan shifts the conversation about her work in a way that hearkens back to Miriam Schapiro’s femmage pieces. But in its nearly painful intimacy with the body, Splan’s work has a fresh and universal application: all viewers have their own bodies to contemplate...
Commissioned for “Re/Formations” exhibition at Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College
