"More Than Words" ●
This piece began with a 'mannequin' head, the kind used by cosmetology school students to 'practice' cutting/styling hair and or applying make-up. First, I cut the hair, then shaved the head smooth.
Initially, I was taken by the lack of expression on the face of the mannequin. However, when when I started layering it with vintage text, it began to take on a persona all it's own, really.
When I started working on this piece I was not sure where it was going. The text came from a 1926 volume of the 'Book of Knowledge" destined for the dumpster. The tissue-like texture of the pages was easy to work with, the paper clung to the mannequin head without a fuss.
Initially I was only going to use pages of text from the book to cover the head, but in the end the book itself became part of the finished piece. I was drawn to the wear shown on the hard cover of this near 90 year old book. The gold imprinted lettering seemed to be desperately clinging to it's cloth cover.
It seems odd to say, but this piece practically made itself, telling me what it wanted to become. The stainless steel drawer pulls anchor the piece. The lazy-susan component from the bottom of a revolving spice rack was the perfect addition, allowing the head to turn this way and that.
The black beads around her neck are from a broken abacus from my stash and the colorful beaded sash on the side, adds the needed splash of color.
Words can speak volumes, but there are times when words simply aren't enough.
I came a cross this Stephen Hawking quote, that seemed appropriate:
"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then
something
happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We
learned to talk
and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas,
enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible.
Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking,
and its greatest failures by not talking."
