Jenny Hood - Tactility

Tactility

During the execution of my "Non-Human Animals" project, I became particularly fascinated with the tactile qualities of the animal bodies I was working with, including furs (all second hand) and taxidermy, as well as their juxtaposition against fabric and human skin.

Working with fur obviously has Freudian association with fetish, the erotic and the idea of the "supersensual", a concept explored in Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch's "Venus in Furs" as well as in several films by Jan Svankmajer and his notion of "tactilism", most notably "Conspirators of Pleasure".

Drawing from these multifarious influences I made the decision to include tactile elements in my work. I felt that 2D images did not completely or sufficiently exhibit the textural qualities of the animals and materials I was working with so began including tactile elements in sculptural or installation based works I was executing.

In the collaborative exhibition "Wunderkammer" with Stewart Comrie, the piece "Vascular Velvet" by the aforementioned artist was an example of such a tactile piece. Gallery visitors were encouraged to touch the objects along with the sculpture entitled "Happy Meal" constructed from TY "Beanie Babie" soft toys.

As part of my degree show installation I included a screening both for my film "Theatres of Nature" consisting of 8ft velvet curtains and panels constructed from real fur (again 2^nd hand) in the doorway. My intention was to have the viewer brush their arm, shoulder or hand against the fur upon leaving the booth. After watching the highly tactile and often visceral content of the film, the subsequent interaction with the fur would arouse conflicting feelings in the viewer, positive and negative.

My exploration of tactility is an ongoing part of my practice and continues to inform the way in which I work and the textural qualities of the animals or materials I choose to work with.