THE BODY AS A MATERIAL ARCHETYPE: MAIDEN, MOTHER AND CRONE

The process of materialising the body, using materials to explore and represent the qualities of the body and replicate its surface texture or shape allows us to examine the physical and metaphorical vibrancy of the body as matter. New Materialism has given me a way of exploring the relationship between the agency of the body and the agency of materials and how these can be used to represent the triple goddess female archetypes of maiden, mother and crone. I have begun to understand that many of my negative views towards my own body, weight, shape, nudity, purpose and ageing are ingrained into me through societal pressures. By giving these archetypes a material and visual representation I am able to link the way we view and experience our own bodies and to try and positively transform that narrative.