Michaela Haynes, Torso29, (2023) paper clay,white glaze,ink,16x15x9cm

Number 29….These torsos were made for an exhibition to raise awareness of domestic abuse. I made 100 of them to highlight the statistic that 100 people an hour contact the police with a domestic abuse phone call. 

They are all completely unique as we are, some tall some wide and thin. Made with strips of clay applied like bandages to signify healing. They portray the differences in us along with the cracks and breaks, some have extra pieces or missing pieces, the good, the bad and the ugly on show. I use inks in the colours of bruises to show the hidden hurts, unseeable to the human eye.

I chose the human torso as it houses our critical organs, it is the core of the human body. Life is marked by the rising and falling of our chests, and our passions and fears are stored in our guts and our hearts.

For the technical side and because my ethos as a maker/designer comes from my degree in sustainable design, I am using paper clay, low temperature firing including a white opaque glaze that crackles.