BodMod Salon

A small-group workshop to learn basic skills in body casting and in the process explore issues around bodies, gender and expressions of identities. Participants will be introduced to quality materials and processes involved in the production of body casts, sculpting and modifying objects, creating unique and personal items to affirm their relationship to their bodies.

The body can be a challenging terrain where complex things like identity, self-acceptance and social roles are negotiated. From the very youngest age we start to adorn, modify, train and strain our bodies in order to make them fit in the worlds we grow up in and have to somehow fit into. For most people there is some level of pain and self-loathing that accompanies this journey. Capitalism works to make us insecure about our bodies in order to make us buy every next solution presented to us in consumable form. Patriarchy and cis-normativity can alienate bodies that don't conform to expected standards.

Participants can create a unique item of their personal vision that could be a prosthetic body-extension, something to be used in a special costume or some other artistic object. The materials are safe to use with the body and high quality. During the time we will share and relate some ideas and personal experiences of our bodies in a safe and small group environment. We will build on these ideas to then create our special works of art, as a process that may affirm for each person something special and personal about their own unique body.

Lou Fourie draws on their experience running body casting workshops and they have extensive knowledge of materials that are safe and appropriate for use with/in/on the body.