Jessa Fairbrother

Armour Studies (Regarding Skin) is an ongoing consideration of the body as both vessel and surface. Employing self-portraiture Jessa hovers on the edge of being object and subject to explore the connection between her form, the exterior and audience.

Describing her shape as provocation she interrupts the surface of photographs using sewing needles to puncture and perforate prints, creating textural adornments inspired by lace and engraved metal.

Her concerns originate in attempts to identify feelings beyond the shape of the person seen, confronting gestures of fallibility and the body’s relentless failures.

This collection brings together pieces where she performs within the image and upon it, cladding her physical identity using needle and thread to protect it from her own disappointments and the viewer’s scrutiny.