Home » Themes » Humour » Hands Off My Genes
Morgan Wood
Hands Off My Genes
jeans, porcupine quills, curator, First nations women artist, mixed media sculpture, non-traditional materials, cloning, black market, loss of land, humour, satire, social commentary, voice, bio-medical research, testing of people's genes,word-play, threatening, intimidating, traditional, Aboriginal art, juxtaposition, heridity, sexuality,
In the traditionTradition is the passing along of a culture from generation to generation, especially orally. Or, a custom or set of customs handed down in this way. The idea of heritage is related to that of tradition. Any activity — as a pattern of celebration, ritual, or other behaviour, etc. — is traditional once it is a precedent influencing comparable activities in the future. (Artlex.com) of the Surrealists and the Dadaists, Morgan Wood has taken a foundAn image, material, or object, not originally intended as a work of art, that is obtained, selected, and exhibited by an artist, often without being altered in any way. The cubists, dadaists, and surrealists originated the use of found images / materials / objects. Although it can be either a natural or manufactured image / material / object, the term readymade refers only to those which were manufactured. Also known in the French, objet trouvé. (Artlex.com) object and made it her own. Her sculptureA three-dimensional work of art, or the art of making it. Such works may be carved, modeled, constructed, or cast. Sculptures can also be described as assemblage, in the round, and relief, and made in a huge variety of media. A sculptor is one who creates sculptures. (artlex.com) Hands Off My Genes is not unlike the fur-covered teacup, spoon and saucer assemblage created by Meret Oppenheim or the urinal sculpture selected by Marcel Duchamp, titled Fountain and signed R. Mutt.
The main component of Wood's sculpture is a pair of found blue jeans that have been stuffed to resemble a woman's legs and abdomen. What strikes the viewer about the jeans is the juxtapositionCombining two or more objects that don't usually go together to cause the viewer to consider both objects differently. of the porcupine quills and the popular clothing item and the fact that the jeans are hanging by clear nylon string at eye level in an art gallery. Initially, the sculpture is amusing and may even make you laugh but, on reflection, the prickly quill extrusions are somewhat threatening . The erect quills foster a sense of fear or foreboding as contact with a frightened porcupine will cause considerable pain and suffering to anyone who ventures near.
Believe in yourself. -- Morgan Wood
With her roots in First NationsFirst Nations is a contemporary term referring to the Indian peoples of Canada, both status and non-status (definition from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada). To find out more about Canada's First Nations, go to: Assembly of First Nations: http://www.afn.ca/ Village of First Nations: http://www.firstnations.com/ Canada's First Nations: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firstnations/ Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations ancestry and culture, Wood has been influenced by traditional Aboriginal art and materials. Porcupine quills were traditionally softened and dyed and woven into leather or birch bark. Quill embroideryTo embroider is to ornament with needlework — making and arranging stitches of variously coloured threads — or to make by means of needlework. Embroidery is the act or art of embroidering. Or, it is ornamention of fabric with needlework, a piece of embroidered fabric, or embellishment with fanciful details. Fabric to be embroidered can be more easily worked if it is stretched within an embroidery hoop. Most embroidery needles are curved. (Artlex.com) was extensively used to decorate war shirts, medicine bags, moccasins and baskets. When seed beads were introduced, they became more popular than porcupine quills because they are easier to use and easier to maintain.
The title, Hands Off My Genes contains a play on words. While Wood presents an image of unwelcoming blue 'jeans' in the sculpture, her title leads us to think about 'genes', the basic units of heredity passed down from one generation to the next. According to Morgan Wood, this particular work was produced as a strong reaction to a CBC documentary. In the documentary, the discussion was centered around the cloning of Aboriginal genes and their consequent sale on the black market. She likened these events to the lack of control her grandparents experienced when they lost their land. Her anger led to the creation of this work as a means of voicing her concerns.
Medium: Denim jeans, porcupine quills, glue, gut line, thread
Dimensions: 106 x 67 x 30 cm
Gallery: MacKenzie Art Gallery
Morgan Wood at Aboriginal Faces of Saskatchewan
Carry out research to learn more about biomedical research and the social, ethical and legal implications of testing groups of peoples in the name of medical research.
Many pharmaceutical and research companies are patenting various genes they discover. Who owns the properties found in the blood? What are our human rights in this regard?
Discuss the pros and cons of genetically engineered food. Who would own the patent on sage that grows in the wild?
This stuffed blue jean sculptureA three-dimensional work of art, or the art of making it. Such works may be carved, modeled, constructed, or cast. Sculptures can also be described as assemblage, in the round, and relief, and made in a huge variety of media. A sculptor is one who creates sculptures. (artlex.com) in Hands Off My Genes appears to be very humorous because the jeans are spiked with porcupine quills. They are threatening and discourage any contact. What purpose do quills serve on a porcupine? How do you think Wood obtained the quills she used on her sculpture?
Research and gather information on Aboriginal quill art forms and practices. You might begin with a website such as Porcupine Quillwork and Hair.
Wood uses a material from a traditional Aboriginal art form, and mixes it with contemporaryCurrent, belonging to the same period of time. Usually referring to our present time, but can refer to being current with any specified time. (Artlex.com) clothing in this mixed mediaAny material and technique used to produce a work of art (paint, glass, clay, fibre, video, sound, etc.). It may also refer to the liquid with which powdered pigments are mixed to make paint. Note that the plural form of "medium" is "media." sculpture. Why do you think she has made the juxtaposition?
The title of the work by Wood, Hands Off My Genes, is a punA joke that makes use of different meanings of a word or the similar pronunciation of two words. For example, referring to "jeans" when the situation applies to "genes", or referring to a "box" (place to hold something) when the situation calls for the word "box" (the physical activity). or a play on words. What are your "genes"?
Research heredity and find examples of how your parents and grandparents may be seen in your appearance and interests. You might begin online by looking at a site with a simple explanation such as Genetics Links for kids and then move on to find answers to some more complicated questions at Introduction to Genetics.
How much of our personalities are determined by heredity and how much are determined by our environments?
Could this artwork be a comment on sexuality, intermarriage and acculturation? Could Morgan Wood be thinking about loss of cultural practices through intermarriage?
Why are jeans so popular in contemporaryCurrent, belonging to the same period of time. Usually referring to our present time, but can refer to being current with any specified time. (Artlex.com) culture? Where did the idea of jeans and original blue jeans' fabric originate? To find out more go to What is the Origin of Blue Jeans?
Research to learn about the Canadian artists called The Group of Seven? What artists would Wood possibly want to include in her book titled The Other Group of Seven?
What message do you think Wood is communicating in this work? Why would she be discouraging contact (through use of the porcupine quills)? Might this somehow be related to sexuality and love?
Find out more about the role of a curatorAn individual or group, who conceives an idea for an art exhibition, selects the art works, plans how they will be displayed and writes accompanying supporting materials for the ideas presented. A curator can work freelance or be affiliated with a gallery, and serves as the link between artists and gallery. in a gallery.
Curate your own exhibition by rearranging the images available to you on this website.
Write a curatorial statement, plan an opening, send out invitations, hang the show, develop an exhibition catalogueA list which is an inventory of works in a gallery, museum, or other collection. It describes the works, and may contain articles discussing their history, and classifying them in other ways. It may be in the form of a file of cards (or an electronic equivalent), one card for each object, or in the form of a publication (usually a pamphlet or book), whether for a special exhibition or for all or part of a permanent collection. (Artlex.com) and ask a classmate or two to do a newspaper write up of the exhibition.
Morgan Wood use the image of blue jeans in Hands Off My Genes to voice political and social concern
Redesign your own jeans to say something about you.
Add material, sequins, beads, writing, stitching, etc. to decorate and enhance the clothing.
Use a pair of jeans in their original shapeAn element of art, it is an enclosed space defined and determined by other art elements such as line, colour, value, and texture. In painting and drawing, shapes may take on the appearance of a solid three-dimensional object even though they are limited to two dimensions — length and width. This two-dimensional character of shape distinguishes it from form, which has depth as well as length and width. Examples of shapes include: circle, oval, and oblong; polygons such as triangle, square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezium, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, undecagon, dodecagon, etc.; and such other kinds of shapes as amorphous, biomorphous, and concretion. (Artlex.com) as the canvasCommonly used as a support for oil or acrylic painting, canvas is a heavy woven fabric made of flax or cotton. Its surface is typically prepared for painting by priming with a ground. Linen — made of flax — is the standard canvas, very strong, sold by the roll and by smaller pieces. A less expensive alternative to linen is heavy cotton duck, though it is less acceptable (some find it unacceptable), cotton being less durable, because it's more prone to absorb dampness, and it's less receptive to grounds and size. For use in painting, a piece of canvas is stretched tightly by stapling or tacking it to a stretcher frame. A painting done on canvas and then cemented to a wall or panel is called marouflage. Canvas board is an inexpensive, commercially prepared cotton canvas which has been primed and glued to cardboard, suitable for students and amateurs who enjoy its portability. Also, a stretched canvas ready for painting, or a painting made on such fabric. Canvas is abbreviated c., and "oil on canvas" is abbreviated o/c. (Artlex.com) for a painting.
Stuff the completed work to form a sculptureA three-dimensional work of art, or the art of making it. Such works may be carved, modeled, constructed, or cast. Sculptures can also be described as assemblage, in the round, and relief, and made in a huge variety of media. A sculptor is one who creates sculptures. (artlex.com) of your unique shape and display your painting.
Use the idea of a word play as the beginning for a clayMud; moist, sticky dirt. In ceramics, clay is the basic material, usually referring to any of a certain variety of mixtures of such ingredients — fine-grained, firm earthy material that is plastic when wet, brittle when dry, and very hard when heated. There is a temperature with ceramic clays at which their particles fuse (vitrification), and this is most commonly controlled by heating (firing) them in a kiln. The most common types of ceramic clays are earthenware (terra cotta when fired, terra cruda when not), stonewares, and porcelain. (Artlex.com) sculpture.
Incorporate ideas from the funkAn art movement in the 1950's and 60's that grew from a reaction against abstract expressionism. In California, the Funk Art movement was embraced by clay artists who were instrumental in moving clay from it's traditionally functionally role to that of a sculptural art form. Artists often combined a play on words (puns), the popular culture and their own environments as inspiration for their often humorous imagery. art movement.
Allward, Mary. 'Victoria Callihou.' Suite101.com, June 23. 2001. Retrieved from the Internet on August 14, 2008 from: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/canadian_tourism/34795