Shark Infested Studios

Following on from my shark phase, I decided to focus on just making the head of an animal similar to a trophy head which could be displayed on a wall or on the floor as if it was an emerging shark from a surreal non-water surface. The head is constructed from plastic straws, covered in paper mache and painted. When constructing it, I thought with the size it would be great to make it wearable and incorporate an element of performance and social engagement.

This lead to this series of photographs with myself and other students posing in the shark head doing a series of everyday activities such as drinking coffee, reading and texting. I then asked them to do a few poses of their discretion which created some humorous and effective photos that weren't my ideas which added a an element of social influence.

Overall the shark head was well received by the other students that took part and it has become the most light-hearted, fun work I have made. I like the idea of making work originating from serious ideas and motives but executing it in fun, comical ways. This combination of serious and comical is something I would like to work with more and I feel that this could be an effective way of reaching and engaging a larger audience about political topics such as animal rights, as it is not offensive or accusatory but potentially more appealing due to the weird and playful nature of it.