Creatures of Love

Creatures of Love 1
Creatures of Love 2

Creatures of Love 1 and 2 (2020)
Photo intaglio on paper
14.5 x 20.5cm

I have been thinking of protective shells as places to heal and develop. I initially chose the oyster because of its beauty but having done some research have found some very interesting aspects. Firstly, it can choose to be male or female depending on the need/availability.  It is apparently alive when it is shucked, exposing its still beating heart before being consumed, so also pretty tragic as well as being considered an aphrodisiac. The build up of calcium to produce the shell is linked in a way to the calcification of traumatized organs or embodied trauma in the human, including arteries, I’m sure you know that this secretion produces the pearl to protect itself from the invading body. I positioned them on graph paper to emphasize a medical dissection/scientific examination type aesthetic…also how something beautiful can be destroyed in the process. The external shell surface is particularly beautiful but I really was drawn to the emptiness of the consumed heart.