Nicole DesChamps-Benke

Wearable life-sized cameo silhouettes

We live on screens in 2-dimensional digital worlds for a significant portion of our lives. Our mediated experience influences who we are. Altered points of view correlate to our identity. Much like shadows of our full physical selves, social media reflects a projected persona and formulates a digital identity. My cameo silhouettes are made by combining traditional studio art practices with the precision of digital technologies. Design templates are created and used as a reference for the hand bending of sterling silver gallery wire, a traditional material used in jewelry for setting stones, into a life-sized contour of the silhouette. These silhouettes directly invoke identity from the superposition of the subject’s life-sized silhouette on the wearer. When the subject of the piece is also the intended wearer, the work commands self-reflection and an acceptance of oneself in any state of being. Alternatively when the subject of the piece differs from the wearer, such as in “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Beyond the Seat,” the wearer boldly establishes a visceral connection and agreement with one or more attributes of the subject’s identity. Being present and living in the moment matter. You be you. By altering our points of view and self-expression, we can better illuminate our identities.