Daisy Collingridge is an artist with an education in fashion design and a practise driven by craft. Her multi-disciplinary work investigates of the human form as the central theme. The work sits in an awkward space between, sculpture, performance and art. The 'flesh suits' or 'Squishies' are an exploration of fabric, form and flesh. Their tactile fabric bodies and inviting colour exaggerate the warmth and softness of flesh- these elements which signify a living thing. They are visceral. There is a desire to touch. Fabric offers skin like qualities that traditional sculpting materials do not have. Unlike marble or ceramic, they will not last forever, just like skin. The medium is more approachable and laced with meaning given that we all come into contact with fabric on a daily basis.
Each piece has their own character. They become real and take on their own identity. It feels natural to document their living moving selves in their own fantasy world. Yet their world mirrors our own with its heady mix of melancholy and joy. At the core of the work is a celebration of the human form. This complex body that we all exist in for a time. It asks the viewer to consider the body in every form and observe its potential.
