2010 / 2019 – Ink, paint, 9 years, grants anatomy book, 18ct yellow gold and sapphires.HDW 25,5 x 18 x 4,5 cm
The joyous tears, which subtly transcend from lilac to yellow, solidify a moment of change. The tears detach from the book to form a single earring. The inside of the book is carved into a skull because it is my belief that in whatever skin we are in, we are all the same.
For this piece, I was inspired by Virginia Woolf's novel, ‘Orlando’. In it, the protagonist lives through several centuries and changes sex from man to woman. When Orlando changes, she points out that nothing has changed apart from her sex. This was quite a statement in 1928 and is still incredibly poignant and relevant today.
I chose to create an earring because during the time of the Elizabethan courts, which is where part of the novel is set, it was the fashion to wear one earring. Skip forward to the 1980s, and wearing an earring in a particular ear gestured to your sexual preference.
Orlando’s Tears
