Latex Skin Petals

To begin, I cast the latex petals using the underside of my forearms. You may notice that some of these petals have little to no texture, as the skin here is relatively smooth. Therefore, I move on to the top of my forearm, as it is more textured than the underside, and produces some interesting textures particularly where I have scarring. As a child I would try to hide the cuts and scars that appeared on my arms as a consequence of illness, I didn't want other people to notice I was ill or think I was dirty or some other negative stigma that lived in my childhood head, so it feels strange to instead seek them out and actually utilise them for an artwork. 

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It's rather anxiety inducing forcing yourself to come face to face with something that you have avoided for most of your life due to the internalised shame. I remember how embarrassed I used to be when another child would ask 'What's wrong with your arm?' or sometimes just stare. It's more these memories that are uncomfortable than looking at the actual scars, which makes me realise how ridiculous yet harmful this stigma can actually be. The scars within the latex are actually super interesting to look at; I spend more time examining and touching them to explore the texture than I could ever bare to look at the real thing on my skin when I was younger. 

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Practically, these casts are somewhat painful: I have very fair and thin hair on my arms, but peeling off the latex pulls and hurts nonetheless. Reluctant to shave my arms and concluding that they don't provide enough texture relating to ageing skin to warrant the discomfort, I move onto the legs.