Still Life Serving (in-progress)
by Nina Arsenault
2011
two 455 cc silicone gel implants (one ruptured, both from the artist’s body 2001-2006) injected with blood (by the artist)
syringe
stainless steel serving tray
carnation
purple amethyst
3 pieces of quartz crystal
Ms. Arsenault assisted by Nicholas Flood during the procedure-ritual
NEXT WEEK I’LL TAKE MORE BLOOD TO DRAW THE PENTAGRAM IN THE RUPTURED IMPLANT (RIGHT) AND DO SOME MORE INJECTIONS INTO THE CONTAINED SILICONE IMPLANT (LEFT). WITH NICHOLAS’ ASSISTANCE I’M ALSO VIDEOING THE RITUAL THROUGH WHICH THE MAGIC OBJECT/ AESTHETIC SCULPTURE IS CREATED. TO INJECT THE SILICONE IMPLANTS WITH BLOOD I AM USING SOMETHING SIMILIAR TO THE “TUNNELING” INJECTION TECHNIQUE. WE’RE JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT HOW THE SILICONE IS HOLDING THE BLOOD (EXACTLY LIKE I HOPED) WE HAD TO SHOW SOMETHING. (SORRY ABOUT THE POOR PHOTO QUALITY.)
THIS IS IN PROCESS.
Peter Tamlin is a young photographer that I think is extremely talented, and we will be seeing a lot more of his stuff in the future in high profile ventures I am sure…
He explained to me that for each shoot he tries to capture one exquisite image instead of aiming for narrative or series.
Check out his awesome photography at petertamlin.com
The shoot actually took place in a blizzard. I was two hours late showing up to the set because I was trapped in the snow. So, this shot was captured at 2am. I was freezing cold cause Iantha the make-up artist had to spray my body with Pam, the cooking oil, over top the body paint to get the slick effect on my skin…and all I was wearing was the dress that Peter had constructed out of industrial latex in a van…
For me this image is about the tension between a sociopathic gaze and an aesthetic vision.
…below is the image in its actual enormous size and a detail shot of the face. (You have to click on the little dot to see the face detail.)
…two different renderings of Venus, the Goddess of Love and Beauty. The first is the winner of a recent photoshop contest at freakingnews.com and the second is the original image, The Birth of Venus by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825- 1905).
OMG, the longer you stay with this video, the more intense it gets. Every frame should be watched without looking away from the screen at any moment to get the full hypnotic effect. … Nostalgia. Normativity. 70/80′s glamour. …It could all be yours, so easily, as easily as a mini skirt slips up a model’s leg innocently enough… if The Price is Right.
