A hand built ceramic vase shaped like an oversized bead, decorated with molded impressions of Star Trek action figures’ breasts.
Stoneware with a matte lavender glaze over black slip, 3.5” x 3.5”
The inspiration for this vessel draws from a few different interests - utopian societies, feminism, ancient material culture (especially beads), and Sci-Fi.
Humans have been representing the female figure, and breasts specifically, for millennia, often in bead form. As a way to honor rather than objectify, and to follow in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors, I created these oversized bead forms and covered them with dozens of the cast breasts. Sometimes the repeated shapes blur into abstraction, at other times they remain instantly identifiable, sharply highlighting society’s obsession with sexualizing and objectifying women’s bodies.
Star Trek presents a future utopian society for humans, but even in this fantasy where poverty, violence, and inequality have been erased, women’s bodies are still objectified. Was it too fantastical to imagine a world where women’s value was not based on their appearance and desirability? This piece was made by creating molds of action figures from the 90s/2000s era of Star Trek. I chose characters whose breasts were consistently centered through costume design, writing, and camera framing.
Shout out to Deanna Troi, Seven of Nine, L’ursa & Bhetor, Lita, and Lwaxana Troi for being interesting, complex, and beloved characters.
A hand built ceramic vase shaped like an oversized bead, decorated with molded impressions of Star Trek action figures’ breasts.
Stoneware with a matte lavender glaze over black slip, 3.5” x 3.5”
The inspiration for this vessel draws from a few different interests - utopian societies, feminism, ancient material culture (especially beads), and Sci-Fi.
Humans have been representing the female figure, and breasts specifically, for millennia, often in bead form. As a way to honor rather than objectify, and to follow in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors, I created these oversized bead forms and covered them with dozens of the cast breasts. Sometimes the repeated shapes blur into abstraction, at other times they remain instantly identifiable, sharply highlighting society’s obsession with sexualizing and objectifying women’s bodies.
Star Trek presents a future utopian society for humans, but even in this fantasy where poverty, violence, and inequality have been erased, women’s bodies are still objectified. Was it too fantastical to imagine a world where women’s value was not based on their appearance and desirability? This piece was made by creating molds of action figures from the 90s/2000s era of Star Trek. I chose characters whose breasts were consistently centered through costume design, writing, and camera framing.
Shout out to Deanna Troi, Seven of Nine, L’ursa & Bhetor, Lita, and Lwaxana Troi for being interesting, complex, and beloved characters.
