Event 3: Fowler Museum, Making Strange

Vivan Sundaram’s Making Strange exhibit showcases two of his bodies of work, Gagawaka and Postmortem, in an interesting and shocking showcase. 

Gagawaka is a series of “outfits” made out of common items ranging from cups to tampons to purses. One of my favorites was “Immunity Cover,” a crop top, pants, and mask outfit made out of surgical masks. By combining a piece of important medical technology with an instance of today’s fashion, Sundaram is able to make a statement that links one of our most material possessions, clothing, to our inevitable death.

Postmortem’s message is much stronger as it focuses on medical devices being represented within the human body. There are a multitude of mannequins cut half open with anatomical models of their organs protruding out as the mannequins are frozen in some kind of movement. By anthropomorphizing these models, Sundaram reminds us of the human body’s limitations. 

Another piece that really caught my eye was “Liberty” which depicts a mannequin in an iron, fiberglass, and rubber dress. The skillful engineering this must have required gave me a new respect for his art, and truly embodies Sundaram's merging of science and art.

I also watched a short film narrated by Sundaram that highlights how he came to create these works and what he thinks viewers will take out of the experience. Overall, I really enjoyed this exhibit and some of the outfits even made me laugh. I would definitely recommend it to other students.

REFERENCES

Anatomical pieces, Fowler Museum, UCLA. Personal photograph by author. 2015.

"Immunity Cover", Fowler Museum, UCLA. Personal photograph by author. 2015.

"Liberty", Fowler Museum, UCLA. Personal photograph by author. 2015.

Me at Making Strange, Fowler Museum, UCLA. Personal photograph by author. 2015.