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Crafting Bodies
The crafting of bodies is a ritual as old as time. Representing the human form using non-human materials is a foundational feature of storytelling, learning, devotion and novelty.
The Museum of Fear and Wonder presents a new collection of crafted bodies in the form of automatons, mannequins, waxworks, votive figures and medical anatomies. By contrasting these wondrous figures, the barrier between genre and function loosens—allowing the distinction between body and object to do the same.
Crafting Bodies
The crafting of bodies is a ritual as old as time. Representing the human form using non-human materials is a foundational feature of storytelling, learning, devotion and novelty.
The Museum of Fear and Wonder presents a new collection of crafted bodies in the form of automatons, mannequins, waxworks, votive figures and medical anatomies. By contrasting these wondrous figures, the barrier between genre and function loosens—allowing the distinction between body and object to do the same.
Crafting Bodies
The crafting of bodies is a ritual as old as time. Representing the human form using non-human materials is a foundational feature of storytelling, learning, devotion and novelty.
The Museum of Fear and Wonder presents a new collection of crafted bodies in the form of automatons, mannequins, waxworks, votive figures and medical anatomies. By contrasting these wondrous figures, the barrier between genre and function loosens—allowing the distinction between body and object to do the same.
There is no denying that objects are solid in the physical sense. They exist in the here and now. You can touch them, smell them and see them with your own eyes. On another level, objects are far from solid. They can be in two places at once, or bring two eras together. They can reach between worlds, opening communication between those on either side.
How do objects become portals? Often they are chosen or constructed for the specific purpose of opening doors. They are understood to be the right tools to unlock the thresholds of other dimensions. But sometimes, objects are endowed with an inner power. They have pasts. They are the product of actions and beliefs that continue to haunt them.