On Wetness
Title
On Wetness
Subject
Fine Art
Description
In this book I explore the
complicated relationship cleaved
between women and wetness.
In our youth it is a boon, we are
flushed with youthful beauty, our
tears are a tool. The first red bloom
of our menses signifies transition
into womanhood. The absence of
this and the breaking of our waters;
motherhood.
The prickling sting of our milk
coming in when a baby cries
at once presents sustenance;
nurturing , comforting but it can
also be a weighty anchor.
Then all at once this wetness, that
was once an ally- a signifier of
sexuality, fertility, beauty- turns
on us. Our bodies, weakened from
childbirth, slip and leak, flush and
sweat. Eventually this wetness
abandons us altogether. As we age,
the moisture that once defined our
utility begins to betray us and we
are left with dryness in its stead.
Using sometimes abstract,
sometimes literal examples, I unpick
this shifting, complex relationship
photographically. Drawing on the
pull of the tides and the lapping,
vacillating nature of this wetness
I use the erosion of the natural
landscape as a counterpoint.
complicated relationship cleaved
between women and wetness.
In our youth it is a boon, we are
flushed with youthful beauty, our
tears are a tool. The first red bloom
of our menses signifies transition
into womanhood. The absence of
this and the breaking of our waters;
motherhood.
The prickling sting of our milk
coming in when a baby cries
at once presents sustenance;
nurturing , comforting but it can
also be a weighty anchor.
Then all at once this wetness, that
was once an ally- a signifier of
sexuality, fertility, beauty- turns
on us. Our bodies, weakened from
childbirth, slip and leak, flush and
sweat. Eventually this wetness
abandons us altogether. As we age,
the moisture that once defined our
utility begins to betray us and we
are left with dryness in its stead.
Using sometimes abstract,
sometimes literal examples, I unpick
this shifting, complex relationship
photographically. Drawing on the
pull of the tides and the lapping,
vacillating nature of this wetness
I use the erosion of the natural
landscape as a counterpoint.
Creator
Xanthe Hutchinson
Publisher
Self published
Date
2023
Format
Perfect Bound
Dimensions
n/a
Number of Pages
49
Edition Size
25
Place of Publication
UK
Designer
Christy Guan
Editor
Xanthe Hutchinson
Printer
N/K
ISBN
N/A
Website
https:/www.xanthehutchinson.com/
URL Link to project
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cDIHKn8R4Wir3zRRgnh4Ap-O_z-nZ3Vz/view?usp=drive_link
Where to buy
Impressions Gallery
Links to reviews
N/A