Frankenstein "Hate Dress" V.2

I have begun work on V.2 of the "Hate Dress" made from the fragments of the original dress which was destroyed in my performance at the Central Saint Martins Post-Graduate show.

As usual, my trusty furry helpers were on hand to assist with the "Frankenstein-esque" creation. I started off by creating a bodice, deciding to go for a different style to the original dress - making this one-shouldered and looser around the waist.

I then started stitching the smaller fragments together to create a series of larger panels of "troll word salad". The stitching is crude and in brightly coloured embroidery threads, partly to minimise the time I had to spend on it (not wanting to treat the hateful content with too much care or attention), but also because they give the panels the Frankenstein vibe, whilst attaching the fragments of ribbons to the panels.

Some detail close-up shots of the "troll word salad".

There were several long, thin strips, which I decided to plait into sculptural braids which I attached to the dress along with the bigger blue bows as a more decorative element. I also like the metaphor of entanglement and emotional ties.

I decided to take the finished dress/sculptural installation to my local church for a photoshoot, partly for the dramatic background, but also because we could play with the arrangement and display on the steps and railings.

My boyfriend, Johann Hubmann, took the photos for me. I love how it looks like I am surrounded by / emerging from a pile of rubbish or an incoherent mess of troll word-salad.