Custom Dress Forms of Research Subject

Custom Dress Forms of Research Subject A in Her 30s, 40s, and 50s

Anonymous creator and places of origin, 30s form, 1998 (in yellow); 40s form, 2010 (in salmon); 50s form, 2017 (in brown).
Plaster gauze shell filled with spray foam insulation. PVC pipe stand, knitted polyester and cotton fabric cover and satin ribbon demarcation lines.
Anonymous loan.

Photographs by Anne Bissonnette©

 

The three custom dress forms of Subject A in her 30s (yellow), 40s (pink), and 50s (brown), show how the same body has changed with age: as for many women, bilateral symmetry (differences between the left and right) is heightened – in this case at the right shoulder; the bust levels gets lower; the waist circumference increases; and the curvature of the spine is augmented. For more information on the plaster “cloning” process, see the exhibition website.