SCULPTOR E.V. DAY EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN BURST OF CREATIVITY

First, you should know, this picture was not my idea. I've never consciously been interested in the S&M implications of my suspended sculptures. But I succumbed to the photographer's wishes to tie me up to the wall in my studio without hesitation. Instead of restriction, I feel like much of my work is about liberating the material from its conventional iconic dress form. The goal in the process of making these sculptures is always the same: to construct an "explo-mo" image, freezing the moment of explosion. It's like putting an orgasm on pause. The moment is sustained. But I'm not trying to freeze it in a confining way, just hold on to that spontaneous moment—that moment just at the point when something totally transforms. This sculpture here is the last of my Exploding Couture series, which I started in 1999. It's only fifty percent finished and is not exploding yet. The pieces of fabric are just starting to come apart. The arms are detaching. The bra is just starting to bust away at the wires. The title is Winged Victory, which comes from the famous Greek sculpture Nike of Samothrace. We know this original sculpture only as a fragment: no arms, legs, or head, but the wings are still attached. She's a strong female symbol of victory. My work involves a red-sequined dress—classic diva drag—and it too is exploding out of its pose. Funnily enough, in the picture it kind of looks like the sculpture is getting its revenge on the maker. And suspended as it is in its state of half completion, it looks as if it wouldn't let me finish it.  

- E.V. Day