I am fascinated by ancient goddesses and the evidence that exists about matrifocal/egalitarian cultures that existed prior to the invention of the written word. As an extension of my interest, I belong to a small group of women who meet monthly to discuss our lives, the goddess, myths, symbols, dreams, archetypes and more.

As I was hosting the May meeting, I was responsible for choosing a discussion topic or activity. I decided to give each participant a lump of polymer clay from which she could model her own personal goddess figurine.  Our only tools were sticks with one end sharpened. Though the clay was not natural, I still wanted us to enjoy the primitive process of molding by hand - and creating something that could be held in one’s hand and used as a fetish or charm, if desired.

Though we’d been VERY chatty before I brought out the clay, everyone fell silent as they began to knead and create. We each became absorbed in the process. The finished goddesses were all very different from one another. Some people had taken great care modeling detailed facial features. One woman’s goddess had wings. Another’s wore a crown.

Mine, shown at left, resembled the very primitive goddess statuettes that have survived from the stone ages. The face I pinched out is rather owl-like. She has no arms or feet. She has rudimentary breasts. After making her hips and legs, I realized the lower half of her body looks like a vulva. I mapped out her pubic triangle by poking holes. She represents a powerful, wise, intuitive goddess. Her curvy little body fits comfortably in my hand. She is meant to be handled, unlike more fragile art dolls that are mainly designed to be gazed upon.

(This post relates to Art Doll number 41, Owl Goddess Figurine, May 09, by Stacey Apeitos.).

Rituals are a feature of almost all known past or present human communities. Often, a ritual is a sequence of repeated actions believed to have symbolic value. Rituals include various acts of worship associated with organized religions and cults such as compliance with religious obligations or ideals, satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners. Also, rituals extend to secular contexts such as oaths of allegiance, coronations, inaugurations, graduations, or situations in which an individual experiences satisfaction through the behaviors of a ritual itself.

According to Wikipedia, rituals may be performed at regular intervals, for specific occasions, or at the discretion of individuals or communities. They may be performed by a single individual, by a group, or by an entire community; in arbitrary places, or in places especially reserved for the ritual; either in public, in private, or before specific people. A ritual may be restricted to a certain subset of the community, and may enable or underscore the passage between religious or social states.

An essential feature of a ritual is that the actions and symbolism are not arbitrarily chosen by the performers of the ritual, nor dictated by logic or necessity. Typically, the  actions of the ritual are directed and imposed upon the performers by an external source or are inherited unconsciously from social traditions. However, personal rituals abound in which the three art dolls in this post undertake upon a stage and under a shadow of secrecy.

This post relates to my fascination with ritual and why so many current day rituals are undertaken without question in the context of dogma or cultural expectation. The three reconstructed art dolls were donated to me for the purpose of this project and rescued from a destiny of slow decomposition in landfill. Made from plastic and coated in various paints and silicone, they stand between 10 and 5 centimeters.

(This post relates to A Shadowy Ritual, Arrigo Dorissa art dolls # 19, #20, #21, February 2009)

This is an altered doll. She’s been painted with copper and then a verdigris patina was applied on top. Her lovely blonde hair now resembles something more like steel wool with copper streaks through it.

This doll symbolizes me, going through chemotherapy. I call her the Garden Statue.  Like a statue she just stands passively while the weather takes its toll. She shows a bit of wear and tear but she keeps her thoughts and feelings in her head. She prays in silence. She waits for the rainy season to end.

I’m not complaining or looking for sympathy.  The truth is, chemo isn’t so bad. I don’t have nausea. I do have days when I am really tired. But I just go to bed. I tell myself that all the extra resting is a good thing - more time to read, to meditate, to daydream, to sleep. Luckily, I don’t have a “real job” so I can be really flexible. I have lost my hair, yes, except for a strange, persistent crop of short white hairs on my head. I find the little white hairs intriguing. I draw on my eyebrows and use more eyeliner than usual. I wear a wig or a scarf in public. It is a nuisance but it won’t last forever. I look in the mirror and say “You look weird,” but I don’t mean it unkindly.

What I DO chastise myself about is this: I have lost my drive; my motivation. I used to initiate tasks and projects. I used to blog regularly! But since I started chemo at the end of September, I became inert. True, I perform the essential tasks. I respond to invitations. Yet I am slow to initiate new projects. If it is only a temporary loss of motivation, which I think it is, then I can forgive myself for being a garden statue for a short time.

This little art doll just stands and accepts her fate. The medicos pour medications and chemicals into/over her  and they x-ray and scan her. It is ultimately for her own good, right?

Six weeks of chemo left.

As 2008 draws to an end the 100-art-doll challenge is far from over!

The goal Stacey and I set ourselves of creating 100 art dolls in twelve months has not been achieved. This is the obvious place to insert numerous excuses however…

 In principle, a project such as this has always meant to add or contribute something to our lives: Thankfully, the 100-art-dolls challenge has achieved that in many ways. So, a decision to be assertive and not concede defeat has been made. That is, Stacey and I have granted ourselves an extension of a further twelve months. The imminent future (2009) holds the prospect of many more creations and posts on this blog. Or perhaps, the challenge should be complete when 100 art dolls have been created? Methinks the wiser approach!

To celebrate the achievements of the 2008 chapter of the challenge, an exhibition featuring many of the art dolls appears in the window of Mr Price’s Foodstore. Mr Price’s Foodstore is located at , 502 Queensberry Street in North Melbourne. This is a terrific Melbourne landmark that comes highly recommended as haven where delicious meals are enjoyed within a unique and ambient environment filled with art and books. For a review of the restaurant, click onto the following link: http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/restaurants/VIC-Melbourne-mrpricesfoodstore.aspx. However, be sure to make a booking as many of the North Melbourne community regard this place as one of their best kept secrets.

The exhibit provides a great opportunity to view the dolls in great detail. If you happen to be local, stop by and check them out. Feedback on this blog and via many other avenues of communication continues to be positive and suggests a sound reason to contribute and invite many others to participate in this challenge throughout 2009.

Art as a therapeutic process assumes many forms. The process of continuing the 100-art-doll challenge aims to continue promoting a belief that the creative process of art can be healing and contribute to psychological health in a positive way. Please don’t hesitate to share your opinions on what you see on this blog. If you would like to join the challenge during 2009, know that you are most welcome.

Happy New Year and thank you for all the support during 2008.

Arrigo & Stacey.

The December Scream is the second homage to Edvard Munch’s Scream figure (see Arrigo Dorissa art doll # 14, June 2008 for the first Scream).

Standing at approximately 52 centimeters tall, The December Scream is a mixed media sculpture. Materials include: papier mache, remnants of an old woolen jumper, fluff chewed from an old woolen mat by my dog, dog fur, glass, plastic teeth, paint and glitter.

(This post relates to The December Scream, Arrigo Dorissa art doll # 18, December 2008)

One of the most hard-working, creative people that I have the pleasure of calling a friend (apart from Stacey Apeitos), is Scott Rosenzweig. Scott has a very successful blog (somelikeitscott.com) and v-blog on You Tube.

After checking out the 100 art dolls challenge on myartself.com, Scott asked me to make him a voodoo doll. Even though the 100 art dolls challenge was not specifically designed to generate voodoo dolls (it was started as a creative project that focused on using art as a reflective and therapeutic medium), upon viewing myartself.com, Scott’s response was…well, typically “Scott.”

Scott is a talented writer, performer, choreographer, political activist, comedienne, philosopher, social analyst…and (like many hard-working artists), holds down a “conventional”  daily job.  Scott works hard to earn his dollar: he’s an executive, concierge and confidant to the CEO of his company no less: a reflection of his intelligence, energy and work ethic. Please do not mistake this post as a sycophantic narrative. This post is written with an intention that aims to celebrate the talents of an individual who is respected amongst his peers and is regarded by many as a  good friend and talented artist. In a broader sense, this post is a tribute the all the creative individuals out there who work hard for a living and consistently attend to their creative pursuits. Hats off to the creative, hard working individual: thy name is Scott Rosenzweig.

 The Scott Rosenzweig Voodoo Doll, inspired by Scott Rosenzweig, is made from recycled materials, papier-mache and is coated with a mixture of tissue paper, glitter paint and PVA glue. Gem stones are pasted on to detail the features of his eyes and mouth. A symbolic heart appears on his sleeve. The Scott Rosenzweig Voodoo Doll stands approximately 37 cm tall and is the seventeenth submission (by Arrigo) in the 100 art dolls challenge.

 Thank you Scott.

(This post relates to The Scott Rosenzweig Voodoo Doll, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #17, November 2008).
 

Alien Visitor was inspired by three themes: (1) the work of Professor John E Mack; (2) Carl Sagan’s book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994); and (3) Planet Earth, the home of human life.
Professor John E. Mack was an eminent Harvard psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and Pulitzer Prize winner. His clinical work in part, focused on explorations of dreams and nightmares. During 1990, he challenged the academic community through publication research in which he postulated that people who reported that they had been abducted by aliens, were not mentally ill or delusional. Mack stated that for some of these people (who claimed to have been abducted), their experiences were genuine. He further stated that it was the responsibility of academics and psychiatrists to take the reports of those claiming alien abduction seriously and try to understand exactly what that experience involved.

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken by Voyager 1. Taken from a vast distance, it depicts the Earth hovering in the incomprehensible enormity of space. It is also the title of a 1994 book by astronomer, astrochemist, author, and highly successful ambassador for astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences, Carl Sagan. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994) is a non-fiction book by Carl Sagan. In his book, Sagan mixes philosophy about the human place in the universe with a description of the current knowledge about the Solar System. He also details a human vision for the future, which in light of current political systems and environmental concerns, for me represents a timely revisit. The following passage is part of an address in which Sagan  relates his thoughts on the deeper meaning of the photograph:
 

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

Alien Visitor stands at 32 cm. and is made from numerous recycled materials including glass, paper, wood and dog fur.

(This post relates to Alien Visitor, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #16, November 2008).

Lumina Fibre Arts Gallery is located in East Malvern, a suburb of Melbourne Australia, where I live. Owner Suzanne Vial thought up a cool way to raise money for breast cancer research. She sold kits that included a basic 6-inch tall doll shape made of wood and wire and a few pink fabric scraps. Each kit included a discount voucher that could be used in the shop later by the kit purchaser, a means of thanking them for participating. Crafty women - quilters, patchworkers, embroiderers, feltmakers, dollmakers and more … bought the kits and dressed their dolls however they chose. Then we brought the dolls back to the gallery for a big display and sale. Each doll is priced at $25. There were over 200 dolls, so between the kit sales and the doll sales, there’ s lots of money for breast cancer research. We were each provided with a label which included space for a dedication to someone who had had, or was currently experiencing breast cancer.

My sister Yvonne is visiting from Wisconsin and she couldn’t have come at a better time. I have had three surgeries related to my own breast cancer and a bout of pneumonia since mid-August. I’ve been in hospital more than I’ve been home lately! But while in for the first of those surgeries, we got the news that our sister Patricia. who lives in Chicago. was going to require a mastectomy for three pre-cancerous tumors in the ducts of one breast.

Her tumors are different to the type I had, and we don’t seem to have a genetic leaning towards breast cancer in our family. But with five girls in our family, and one in twelve women experiencing breast cancer these days, it is not so extraordinary. Luckily, hers was caught earlier than mine. Unluckily, she will lose a breast. (But luckily, she will have a reconstruction and a boob lift on the other side and her boobs will have a lovely “lift” that will last much longer than any of her sisters - including the three younger than she!)

Still, does anyone ever want to have a breast cut off? I decided to make my doll a pirate, and dedicate her to Patricia.

When I had my lumpectomy six years ago, I started to regard my scar as a “pirate scar”. It was strangely comforting to imagine that I’d received it during a pirate battle. Aye, matie. Then I learned that Susan Jeffers, author of “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”, had had a mastectomy and thought of her scar as a pirate scar, too. I was not alone in my weird fantasy.

As Yvonne was here on the day I decided to dress my doll, and I wasn’t feeling confident about making the pink satin blouse, I asked if she’d do that part of the project. It is beautifully made! (I won’t tell you how long it took her, but it was a l-o-n-g time.) The satin was the only fabric we used from the kit. Everything else came from my stash. I had the cutlass in my stash of miniatures. I made the parrot from small pom poms, bead eyes and bits of felt. The pink felt hat was fun to make, too. In fact, when Vonnie and I had finished the doll, I wished we could do some more!

My friend and neighbor, Roby, was the first to see the finished doll and demanded to buy it on the spot. So it was delivered to the gallery, pre-sold.

There were such a lot of cute pink dolls on display when we went to the opening yesterday. If you live in the area, drop into Lumina Gallery where “pink” is being celebrated for the entire month of October.

(This post relates to Art Doll number 39, Pink Pirate, October 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)

This is a piece called Fundamental Infant. It is a reflection of some of my fundamental values, namely Loyalty, Honesty and Commitment. At times, values such as these can be misplaced (for numerous reasons) and inevitably lead to disappointment and frustration. However, in this case I refer to these values in the context of a relationship that is perceived as trusting and “safe.”

In recent times, experiences within significant relationships of mine have  made me question my adherence to and rationale for upholding these values. A colleague whose opinion I respect, suggested that striving to uphold and live by these values in relationship with another was naive and child-like. I don’t argue that the human condition is anything but fallible. However, I continue choosing to invest in certain values that provide optimism, meaning and hope for a positive future. Naive…?
 

Fundamental Infant, is child-like in appearance and represents the aforementioned values. He is made from papier mache and coated with blue tissue-paper, paint and varnish. He stands approximately 51 cm. 

Perhaps my colleague’s comments were a reflection of being jaded and cynical when it came to important relationships?

Feedback is most welcome…

 (This post relates to Fundamental Infant, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #15, September 2008).

Well, it’s been a long time between posts. Please excuse me. I have been on vacation. First I went to Indiana to visit my wonderful parents and siblings and extended family. Then my husband and teenage son and I stopped in HAWAII and FIJI on our way back to Australia. Wow! We were gone a month. It was the best vacation EVER.

I did think about the 100 Art-Doll-Challenge while I was away. I even took a little craft kit with me to make some art dolls when I had some spare time. But I never had spare time. We were so busy every day and I was so exhausted every night!

Let me tell you how delighted I was to find, in our hotel room at the Fijian resort, a framed collection of carved wooden art dolls. I was enthusiastically photographing them when my son asked why I found them so interesting. “Because they are art dolls, and I can use them for inspiration for the blog I write with Arrigo,” I replied.

My son laughed. “Those aren’t art dolls, they’re cannibal forks . I saw some at the market yesterday and they were labelled.”

I looked at the legs on the dolls. Hmmm, there were actually four spikes in place of two legs. My son was probably right. To make sure, I went down to an area near the main building where Fijian women had spread out blankets and were selling local handcrafts. “Is this truly a cannibal fork?” I asked, picking one up.

“Oh yes,” answered the woman, “But don’t worry. We haven’t practiced cannibalism for several years. These days we use them for barbecue and salad.”

So I bought myself a cannibal fork. And I knew my next art doll would have to be my own version of a cannibal fork - Since I bought the fork, the novelty teeth and the rubber skeleton in my local shopping center, I have called it the “South Oakleigh Cannibal Fork.

Strangely, I had already bought the teeth and a bag of skeletons months previously. I just thought they were funky and didn’t know why I needed them at the time.

I have not used the fork since making it - not for eating barbecue, salad OR people. But I bet it would work just fine on any of those delicacies.

So as Arrigo and I try to find a personal message in every doll we make, how does the archetypal Cannibal appear in my life?

I find the idea of cannibalism amusing - and my interpretation of a cannibal fork clearly echoes this amusement. Does the amusement hide my discomfort at the thought of eating human flesh .. or of being eaten by another person?

In truth, I would happily invite a psychic cannibal, like a psychic surgeon, to plunge a magical fork into my body and eat the cancer cells that reside in the lining of my lungs. Yes, I have cancer - secondary breast cancer. It was diagnosed a few months ago. I have not mentioned it on this blog because … well, I had my reasons. But now seems to be a good time.

If some cannibal could eat away those specific cells I don’t want and, perhaps, nibble a little off my hips and thighs for cosmetic purposes, well, that would be quite alright by me.

I am going into hospital this week for surgery. I’ve been doing visualizations about fixing or extinguishing the renegade cells, and about strengthening my immune system. Perhaps my new cannibal fork doll could help me visualize the healing process in a new way - with humor.

(This post relates to Art Doll number 38, South Oakleigh Cannibal Fork, August 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)