#templebargallery

SARAH O’SULLIVAN

    Ideas of material identity were a heavy influence for

  O’Sullivan’s works. ‘I Luv You 24/7’ is constructed from hand

  sewn teddy bears or inside outs which are a signature to her

  work. The teddy bear is adorned with 605 love heart sweets

  varying in shades of pinks and peaches and pale greens. The

  sweets read messages such as ‘I Surrender’, ‘Forever Yours,’ ‘I

  Love Harry’ and ‘Love me’.

      The piece borders on obsessive and portrays this irrational

  need to give and receive love, it demands your attention.

  Strewn on the floor below are the broken and empty

  carcasses of teddy bears that have been sucked of life and

  drained of color, they are the ones left behind.  The piece ‘For him…’

  is inspired by a media identity. Another handmade

  inside out is seen covered in words clipped from pre teen

  magazines. ‘For him...’ explores what pre teens are exposed to

  in magazines. The piece, named ‘For Him…’ as many of

  the magazines are targeted towards dating, male friendships

  and idolizing male pop stars.

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    In week four the workshop was based around creative

  problem solving using recycled house hold materials.

  The children were given tasks, which allowed them to construct innovative ways to, for example ‘ disguise their vegetables at the dinner table’ or ‘ invent a survival kit.’

  The children were also asked to experiment and given tasks to record in their visual diaries. One task being to record what they had for dinner, who with and the colour of their plate. This task amongst other observations was an inspiration for O’Sullivans work titled ‘Kentucky Fried

  Children.’ Another inside out which was hand sewn and

  printed with the children’s names inserted in various

  media branding and hand a embroidered picnic blanket.

  ‘Ask Fm’ was a piece made by O’Sullivan in response to

  interviews with pre teen girls on the infamous Ask Fm social

  networking website and an interview conducted between

  O’Sullivan and controversial photographer Richard Kern. The

  Ask Fm website has received negative media attention for