Spark a show about the bay area arts scene is one of my favorite shows on T.V. I don't always catch it but when I do I always learn so much and often discover new things. This time, it was these doilies that caught my eye. I didn't really know what doilies are and in case you are wondering too, a doily is a a small ornamental mat, usually of lace or linen.
Laura Splan's doily designs though take this very domestic item to a whole another level. Her designs are all based on the structure of various viruses. The first image is of the Herpes Virus, next to it, the dreaded HIV and then the common cold or influenza virus and the last one the once infamous SARS virus.
I am not quite sure I can explain in words why I like them. I think that the beauty of the result coupled with the subversiveness of the inspiration just appeals to me. The art has an innocent side but on closer inspection and education about it reveals a darker side.
Her other work also has similar qualities. She make pillows cases with blown up images of human skin, paints traditional looking wall paper designs with her blood (you need very little blood to do this) and creates interactive digital artshowcasing scars. Some of it might make one queasy but for me it is about acceptance of the human body, flaws and all and its abs
traction and elevation into art.
