I've narrowed down my thesis daydreaming (and essentially combined conceptual elements from others into this doll/creature concept) to draw up the following:
Hybrid Creature Figures as Vessels of Sacred Femininity and Sacred Ecology
CONTENT: Illustrations, written narratives and unusual creature dolls that embody Sacred Femininity and Sacred Ecology in the form of three spirits: Maiden/Sky, Mother/Forest, and Crone/Ocean.
CONTEXT: Illustrations and art dolls in the form of hybrid creature figures, with hard and soft sculpture elements, each character modeled on her own illustration poster design. These character designs and their physical models will convey ideas of Sacred Ecology and Sacred Femininity and will follow the female narrative, evoked by an accompanying written piece to match the illustration and the physical sculpture. Each narrative will follow the individual character and will touch on concepts of ecofeminism, the female condition, environmentalism and pagan mysticism to carry a message to viewers about the importance of recognizing the sacred in femininity and the sacred in ecology in order to preserve both women and the environment, as the disrespect and degradation of both is an interconnected process.
Stylistically, the illustrations and sculptures will have elements of the organic, exaggerated, gothic, fantastical, fierce, ancient, delicate and beautiful. They are meant to be powerful in appearance, not necessarily sweet or conventionally attractive, as these characters are simply the essence of what they embody. Since I am including concepts of ecology and feminism (and making a point to explain why it is important to recognize and honor the sacred element in nature and women), there will be aspects of damage and rot in the character designs.
The final goal of this project is to create a gallery show of conceptual art dolls.
--CRONE//DEATH/RENEWAL: SEA SPRITE (ocean ecology, cycle + emotional wisdom, death)
--MOTHER//GROWTH/FERTILITY: FOREST FAE (forest ecology, physical strength + wisdom of experience (mind + body wisdom), peak of life +fertility)
--MAIDEN// BIRTH/BEGINNING/PLAYFULNESS: SKY SYLPH (air ecology, imagination, creativity + wisdom of movement, birth)
Character Design Illustration Specifics:
-Character turnaround sheet
-Final character poster sketch
-Finished color poster, done in Photoshop
Hybrid Creature Figure Specifics:
-Flexible body, with wire armature in soft areas, joints in hard sculpture sections
-Painted fimo clay hard sculpture sections
-Fabric, yarn, or fur soft sculpture areas
-Bead, button, lace, and crochet embellishments
-Approximately 12” height
Written Narrative Specifics:
-Three short narratives (one page), one per character, 1st person narration from the character's point of view
-A narrative discussing both sacred femininity (maiden, mother, crone levels) and the ecology of each respective character's environment (ocean, forest, sky), and the interconnected rhythms of femininity in sync with nature.
