Pins and Needles, a Collection of Aluminium Lace Armour
Dimensions
900 x 450 x 100 mm (shield)
Materials
Shield, helmet and sword: lost-wax cast aluminium
Artist statement
‘The title Pins and Needles suggests an uncomfortable sensation when a part of the body becomes numb. The remedy is to become consciously active.
Pins and Needles is a 21-piece collection of life-size female crusader’s armour and weapons. The armour is lost-wax cast from scrap aluminium such as pots and pans. The surface is decorated with crocheted lacework. Accompanying the armour is a sequence of sewing needles and crocheted doilies, scaled up to represent swords and shields.
Many archetypes have inspired the development of this body of work, especially the many versions of Amazonian warriors, Greek and Roman Artemis, the Iceni Queen Boadicea, saints, housewives and feminist activists who challenged patriarchal authority. ‘I do not wish (women) to have power over men; but over themselves.’*
* Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792
Pins and Needles, a Collection of Aluminium Lace Armour
Louise Pinder
Dimensions
900 x 450 x 100 mm (shield)
Materials
Shield, helmet and sword: lost-wax cast aluminium
Artist statement
‘The title Pins and Needles suggests an uncomfortable sensation when a part of the body becomes numb. The remedy is to become consciously active.
Pins and Needles is a 21-piece collection of life-size female crusader’s armour and weapons. The armour is lost-wax cast from scrap aluminium such as pots and pans. The surface is decorated with crocheted lacework. Accompanying the armour is a sequence of sewing needles and crocheted doilies, scaled up to represent swords and shields.
Many archetypes have inspired the development of this body of work, especially the many versions of Amazonian warriors, Greek and Roman Artemis, the Iceni Queen Boadicea, saints, housewives and feminist activists who challenged patriarchal authority. ‘I do not wish (women) to have power over men; but over themselves.’*
* Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792