Erica Eyres - Text


Erica Eyres


I am interested in how humans use an absurd mixture of opposing emotions when they are faced with overwhelming situations and anxiety, and I would like viewers to have a similar experience of contradictory sensations when they see my work. I combine conflicting sources to create awkward figures or characters that may be likened to that of a teenager who is trapped between childhood and adulthood. These characters straddle the border between being pitiful and hilarious so that they demand both empathy and uncomfortable laughter.

“Without Arms” is the story of four women who became friends and formed a political group during college. They decided, collectively, to make a statement by cutting off their right arms. Moments after, one member (Diane), decided to have her arm surgically sewn back on. As a result, she becomes alienated by the group and is forced to return to isolation. The film is a mock documentary, tracing the group’s story through interviews with each member. I created the video Playing Dead as a way to speak about suicide with unsettling lightness and humour. The character speaks about “fake suicide” as though it is a productive and fulfilling part of her life. Her dialogue has been modelled loosely around artist interviews, using self-assurance and confidence to talk about a ridiculous and disconcerting subject. In the video Key #02, I dressed as a male motivational speaker who delivers a lecture about "key number two" in how to "get positive". While listening to the character's advice about positive thinking, we are also confronted with five different women who emmulate fashion models that are happy to pose for us in spite of their hideous deformities. Destiny Green is a work in progress that will be a documentary about the life of a fictional beauty queen who’s story is inspired by both Jonbenet Ramsey and Jocelyne Wildenstein. The film will trace the child’s history through interviews with friends and professional relations, discussing her rise to fame, her disappearance and shocking reappearance after having her face surgically removed.

 

 

 
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