Object Acquisition #77- 300.4.18 Facial Casts

Documenting objects from The Hunt Show:

Object Acquisition # 77- 300.4.18

Object interpreted and Statement by Ben Rood

When I first approached my objects at the Oregon Health and Science University I got the feeling that early science often gives me, the creeps. The plaster casts of facial deformities were crudely assembled and displayed. The molds were coated with a pinkish wax and bits of eyebrows were stuck to them, mounted like medical trophies I couldn’t help being semi-repulsed. I was looking at human faces but to me they did not at all feel like they were human. In response to these objects I created a body of work that examined and abstracted natural structures. A series of small mixed media paintings on board mounted in frames. The level of abstraction forces the viewer to closely examine the paintings but never offers any answer as to what or why. The idea is to create both attraction and frustration, much like I felt looking at the original objects.