Anna Lewis: Stay
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In the series Stay, Anna Lewis investigates the aesthetic, symbolic and costume imagery of the Victorian era, starting from an antique corset made of whalebone, linen and silk, dated 1780 writes Ilaria Ruggiero.
The corset is an object of conflict and contrast; it represents both control and support.
A ubiquitous object and outward symbol of self-control, or social control by men.
The corset is a political element, for her it is symbolic of discipline, beauty and sexuality yet hides a dark truth by painfully punishing the body in order to fit this feminine ideal. The restriction of this tight cage, crushing internal organs and ribs often making the wearer ill, suffering for a tiny wasp-like waist, perhaps could be a reflection of the lack of freedom or voice experienced by women at this time.
The idea of control of both mind and body, the vision of the woman as an object or possession of beauty, or as a trophy on the arm of a man: but was the corset also a weapon used by women to control society and men themselves? An element of manipulation or a tool in its own right?
Anna plays with the dual appearance of the corset like a bird’s wing, free, when shown unworn and opened. When used, on the contrary, it becomes an element of constriction and turns the female into a cultural object through control and distortion.
Anna Lewis is a jewellery artist who works with feathers and questions the relationship between body, object and material; Her work explores the contrasting elements of both female freedom and restriction. Birds in direct contrast are symbols of freedom, of flight and of liberation.
About Anna Lewis
Anna Lewis is an artist and designer-maker exploring ideas through the mixture of jewellery, fashion, photography and film. Originally trained as a jewellery designer, she has exhibited in contemporary craft galleries and events all over the world including a solo show in Japan and Shmuck in Munich Jewellery Week. Anna’s work has been featured in many international design publications and books including Elle Décor, Living, Crafts, Selvedge and The Times magazine.
Anna has also diversified into large-scale installation and collaborated more recently with photographers and filmmakers on several projects including music videos and fashion film. She is currently a lecturer in Design Crafts and Surface Pattern Design at Swansea College of Art, Wales.
Image Credits
Dylan Thomas and Chloe Hughes
Model - Bartosz Cechowicz
About the Contributing Writer
Ilaria Ruggiero is a cultural manager and curator working in the field of contemporary art. She is the founder of Adornment - Curating Contemporary Art Jewelry, a curatorial integrated project dedicated to contemporary art jewelry. It aims to develop the knowledge and consciousness of contemporary jewelry as artistic discipline and as ground search for technique, aesthetics, and philosophy.
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