Jody MacDonald
My practice is a satirical merging of fact, fiction, history, and contemporary culture. I work both 3-dimensionally and 2-dimensionally. Small-scale, sculptural dioramas have recently expanded into immersive, walk-through installations.
A combination of both fine art and craft materials and techniques, the highly narrative installations begin with tiny textile figures. Created through labor-intensive hand and machine sewing and constructed from unbleached muslin, the figures are stuffed with fiberfill and internally wired for pose-ability. Detailed, miniature accessories are obsessively manufactured and present clues to layered and complex storylines. At 1:8 human scale, the figures coax viewers in for a
closer look where unsettling narratives lurk under a veneer of whimsy.
Ink, watercolor, and collaged works on paper are equally small-scaled and meticulous.
Mirroring the doll-like sculptures in their playful style, the dark humor found in the scrawling text reveals a scathing social commentary.
- Jody MacDonald