Wool sculpture (made with the process of needle-felting), wool roving, polymer clay, antique wooden base.
”A needle-felted wool sculpture inspired by the Fiji-mermaids of the Victorian era. These were displayed as sideshow attractions and later found their way into museum collections. These fakes, were then believed to be torso's of monkeys, sewn onto fish tails. Recently, even this was found to be untrue, only the fish tail aspect was real. I am intrigued by these layers of fakery and the 'magic' that has been lost around believing in such creatures.”
Dimensions: 31 x 15 x 16 cm.
About the artist:
After graduating from Wimbledon School of Art in 2004, Laura began volunteering in a museum and picked up her first felting needle. The two elements have been entwined ever since! She is fascinated by the intersection of nature, and human creativity in both Natural History and Anthropology collections. Antique taxidermy has been a huge source of inspiration: though ‘natural’ the animal skin sculpture, can never be separated from the human perception of the animal and the skill of the taxidermist. Natural objects are collected with human intent, and displayed alongside the narratives woven around them. Laura creates wool sculptures inspired by taxidermy dioramas and curiosities, often with a contemporary twist or hint towards environmental issues or current events. She has a strong maker’s ethos, a belief in craftsmanship and the role of the artist’s own hand. Laura's work has featured in exhibitions at The Horniman Museum, The Scottish Maritime Museum and MAC Birmingham.