Baby

This wall mounted sculpture is inspired by the polecat- a member of the weasel family, and wild ancestor of the ferret. These arboreal mammals caught my attention because, despite typically being solitary, they have been recorded forming “homosexual alliances”.

The sculpture is composed of a ceramic head and paws, coupled with an extended, soft fabric body. The choice of materials is a reference to traditional doll making techniques, which brings to mind a kind of naivety and imagination associated with childhood. The resemblance to a plush toy (which are typically considered to be the playthings of children) also proposes the idea of homosexuality being represented positively, from a young age.

The polecat is perched on a branch, carved from repurposed pieces of furniture. The use of existing furniture elements scavenged from second hand stores and wood workshops, is an attempt at bricolage in the spirit of recycling, however it also represents a more conceptual tactic- These household props are markers of the domestic space. They can be viewed as symbolic of human society, and thus the process of deconstructing and then reshaping them into a more organic, fluid form ties into the project of dismantling hegemonic systems.