Sucker Punch: Sparring with Chronic Pain depicts the experience of living with pain in a woman’s body. Using soft objects–canvas, quilt, and thread–I built a set to showcase the comedy and horror of my internal struggle. I use a mascot, the kangaroo, as a cheeky metaphor for the self and, by definition, an emblem of good luck and protection. To describe my relationship to the pain, I created an approachable narrative.
My topless, boxing kangaroo wears patchwork bottoms and represents the untold stories of victorian-era female pugilists, women who unleashed their repressed aggression publically. She embodies humor, power, anger, and courage, carrying an unassumingly sweet and soft demeanor with a fistful of rage.
This juxtaposition is represented materially through the contrast of the fighting imagery with the soft materials. In this installation, humor and playfulness are the marquee performers; their role is to reimagine an experience that’s overwhelmingly difficult and hard to understand. My aim for this work is to encourage vulnerable conversations about trauma, pain, and reinterpretations of femininity through dress. My built environment presents the story that is then carried outside of these walls by the clothing.