My initial exploration into the extension of the body found its way to the traditional chatelaine, an arrangement of objects that are both convenient and decorative (usually sewing equipment), worn at the waist of women’s skirts in the nineteenth century. I imagined how useful and interesting these objects would have been to my mother, who was a seamstress and who studied the history of pockets. My mother also collected things, which have now ended up in my possession now that she has passed away. This collecting of objects has always fascinated me. It has left me looking at them, wondering “what made her pick this up? What made her keep it for so long? What made this so important that it was protected in this way?” Some of these objects have not been protected, but have somehow lasted through so many years without being harmed. This perplexes me.
The curiosity I have revolving around these objects has fueled and inspired a body of work in which I hope to use these objects, even if only as a starting point. As I have moved these objects from her home to mine and taken responsibility for them, I find a need to highlight the importance they have been given by being kept for so long, while also providing them with some sort of protection and organization, to keep them even longer.
This assignment has become an interesting beginning to this pursuit I am just starting out on. The final product has gone through many phases, from a very traditional, ornate chatelaine worn on the hip that contains specific objects of my mother’s, to a traditional, modern chatelaine worn on the hip that was not object-specific, but maybe could hold various objects in more general containers...to this, a form of a chatelaine that is not object-specific, yet worn in a more modern context, the same way a purse might be worn. In my research I came across artists such as Seth Papac and Nikky Bergman, who twisted the chatelaine into different forms. I didn’t think this was possible until I was introduced to their very large, sculptural body adornments. When I thought about how this object may relate to my body, I wouldn’t wear a chatelaine on my waist, because I do not dress in such a way that it would make sense. I carry a purse, and anything I need to carry on my person is carried that way. So how do I blend these worlds? A purse has been done. A chatelaine has been done. A sculptural chatelaine that is worn differently has been done. I feel that my final product is something that blends the two worlds well and is working towards being specific to my vision and to my needs. It would be interesting to see this concept become a real object, because the metal containers would move across the strap, making sound as they clink together.
The final product, to me, became more about the act of collecting. These containers are not specific to any one object, and to be honest I did not create them with the containment of any specific object in mind. They could hold small objects in the act of collecting, providing a practical place to hold small things safely, such as seashells or stones being collected on a beach. The action of collecting is really what has intrigued me about my mother’s objects, and is something that I take part in myself. This conceptual body extension has found a way to be decorative while also being something that is practical and fits usefully into my life.
