Handkerchief (Anatomy of Tears)

computerized embroidery on remnant cosmetic facial peel with tear duct anatomy as decorative motif
Artwork

Handkerchief (Anatomy of Tears)

2009
computerized machine embroidery on remnant cosmetic facial peel
8 H × 8 W in (20.32 H × 20.32 W cm)

Handkerchief (Anatomy of Tears) is embellished with a design based on the anatomy of a human tear duct. Lacrimal and naso-lacrimal glands and ducts appear as a decorative motif on the handkerchief constructed out of water-soluble facial peel.

Handkerchief (Anatomy of Tears) is embellished with a design based on the anatomy of a human tear duct. Lacrimal and naso-lacrimal glands and ducts appear as a decorative motif on the handkerchief constructed out of water-soluble facial peel.

...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...

American Craft
Elizabeth Lopeman
Van Every/Smith Galleries

Commissioned for “Re/Formations” exhibition at Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College