Immemorabilis Monumentum

Porcelain, glaze, decals, luster. 2019.

Every day in the United States, (at least) three women are victims of intimate partner homicide, whether by a current or previous partner, according to the CDC. A woman is exponentially more likely to be murdered after experiencing domestic violence, and of all murders of women where circumstances are known, a startling fifty percent is made up of intimate partner homicide. Immemorabilis Monumentum acknowledges, memorializes, and pays tribute to the women who fall victim to this fate every day and brings an uncensored focus to the reality of the situation. The fragile lustered porcelain references objects of extreme value, reminiscent of the delicate floral decorations of Meissen and Dresden porcelain. By honoring and respecting and giving form to these women and their experiences, I reverse the long-standing societal trend of sweeping them and their fates under the rug. Flowers traditionally communicate female gender norms or ideals, but these flowers have images of brutal violence embedded in their petals, referencing this dark, unspoken underbelly of femininity and placing it directly in the viewer’s focus, not to be ignored. The western world uses sweet, demure ideas and representations of what women are and should be to ignore what actually happens to women: this abhorrent violence that accompanies femininity. As a society, even in 2019, we overwhelmingly treat violence against women as something “unworthy of mention.” The megaphone-form brings forward the concept of amplification, to bring attention to such a devastating situation. However its’ bell is closed off, suffocating it, and highlighting the silence currently surrounding it. The juxtapositions of fragility with violence and amplification with silence hyperfocus on the hidden and terrifying truth of violence against women and intimate partner homicide.