Shannon Weston - Mursi Tribe Wall Sculpture Set of 3

Reflections:
My work explores the idea of using material practices to preserve cultural practices. By substituting skin for other materials such as clay, I’m able to create objects that bare similar scars. With each piece I make,  I aim to create a  surrealistic, intimate, learning experience for viewers by appealing to their sense of touch, which allows them to imagine similar surface designs on human skin. Utilizing surface finishes such as terra sigillata to create a smooth, soft, skin-like texture that when applied on the scarred surfaces, creates an unusual and satisfying feeling that fills you with curiosity and astonishment.

These skin designs vary in style, arrangement and purpose across different African groups. I decorate the surface of my work with additive and manipulative clay techniques to create coarse, bumpy, scratched, tactile surfaces that resemble these symbolic scar patterns. Some of the designs I use are an exact representation of a tribes’ traditional scars while others are stylized designs I’ve created. While decorating the skin of the clay body, I feel great joy and satisfaction envisioning myself as the clay version of the designated individual traditionally designing directly onto human skin during these sacred religious ceremonies.

Developing this work has allowed me to reconnect with my African heritage, as I decorate the clay surface as if it were skin to preserve and promote black beauty and strength with the overall hope that viewers will become more enlightened, informed and accepting of persons living in the western society who bare these scars.

Lead-time: Artworks on commission basis only, contact us to find out about the current waitlist.