Her (un) Doing – Heather Doyle-Maier
Heather Doyle-Maier works in performance, installation and book arts.To all her work she brings a sense of quietude paired with undertones of outrage at or, in this case, a questioning of the status quo.
Her (un) Doing is a feminist look at the traditional “learn to dress myself” fabric books, exploring the simple tasks involved in dressing a small girl as commentary on the process of being fastened into a gender.
In answer to the question How can we remove the packaging of girls, and babies in general? Doyle-Maier states:
I’m not sure we need to, or can. Dressing up babies is not only part of keeping them warm and safe, but part of how we adore them, and their survival depends on us adoring them. . . No matter what clothing we choose for our children, we make a statement about how we want them to be held in the world, . . . it’s good to be aware of the potentially limiting contents of whatever packaging you are applying.
The book, as is typical of all her work, is beautifully crafted with care and attention given to both physical and conceptual details.
This books is a one of a kind and has been sold.
Artist statement, images and descriptive details here:
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