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9 STONES

2022

HAND ON SALT SCULPTURE

“9st” is a collaborative project between me and the sea - by using salt extracted from the Atlantic Ocean I intended to create a cyclical practice, a dialogue between the deep symbolism of salt and the concept of ephemeral ecological artistic practice. In this project salt serves as a metaphor for the fragility of the body, the heaviness of mental illness and social fatphobia that at this point should have been dissolved. The act of giving it back to its own sea turns to be a cathartic ritual of letting go the weight of weighting.

Struggling with body image issues my whole life, I started wondering about what defined me as a woman and how the body shape is so intrinsically connected with the perception of sexuality and acceptance of yourself and others. 9st is the number of the difference between what is socially accepted as average weight and my actual weight.

The project is structured by three main materials: salt from the Atlantic Ocean, charcoal found on the site of the release of the salt stones and dracaena draco resin (a tree endemic of Macaronesia). During the course of development of the project these materials found their way to me, establishing a connection between them, my project and a specific period of time of my life.

UNDRESS ME NOT

The act of undressing the stones turns to be an intimate moment directly linked with the concept of self-revelation, sexuality and surrender. It's a physical act, struggling to separate the fabrics from the stone, untangling not for, in the end, revealing it's most true nature.

SALT SCULPTURE WRAPPED WITH FABRIC
SALT-SOILED FABRIC

THE WEIGHT OF A SALT STONE

Self-Portrait I

If I wasn't flesh, I would be salt.

A big bag of salt leaking through the tiles

rusting the iron around me,

melting the ice on roads,

giving flavor to food.

Preserving the organic,

competing with sugar for the white gold title.

Indispensable to life,

rising your blood pressure, so I can kill you.

Just passed by on the table like there is no honor to him, to me.

ESCULTURA DE SAL NO COLO DE UMA PESSOA
SALT SCULPTURE NEAR A BODY
ESCULTURA DE SAL NO COLO DE UMA PESSOA 2
SALT SCULPTURE ON A PERSON'S LAP 3
HANDS TAKING SALT SCULPTURE TO THE SEA
PERSON SWIMMING
MÃOS A SEGURAR PEQUENA ESCULTURA DE SAL
SEA LANDSCAPE

LAB MATERIAL

CRYSTALLIZED SALT

MATERIALS DICTIONARY

SEA SALT: lightness and heaviness - a medium to represent my relationship with the sea the lightness/heaviness duality that I personally find in salt is undeniably connected with the perception of the self-body; Personification of the flesh;

The sea in its solid form - extracted by the sun, pressed by me;

Preservation tool.

CHARCOAL

CHARCOAL: representing the land – the volcanic island land (basalt & black sand); Representing my pain associated with the personal and social difficulties of being overweight – burned by experience, burned by society; the wood was burned and there is no way back.

DRAGON TREE RESIN

DRACAENA DRACO RESINE: Femininity: what does it mean to be a woman? Am I less woman if I can't reproduce? What is this about not bleeding that makes you feel less feminine?;

The result of a bleeding tree; Associated with sexuality and objectification of women;

From dracaena draco tree - endemic from where I'm endemic as well.

MÃOS A SUGURAR PEDAÇO DE CARVÃO
DESENHO ABSTRATO A CARVÃO
DILUTED DRAGON TREE RESIN

THE ACT

9 stones were thrown into the sea

PERFORMANCE VIDEO STILLS - THROWING THE SCULPTURE INTO THE SEA
SALT SCULPTURE TO BE THROWN INTO THE SEA

This act proved to be a cathartic experience of self-realization regarding my own weight, the physical space that I actually take and social expectations, disbeliefs and prejudice associated with overweight people.

SALT SCULPTURE DISMALING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
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