Dolldom's fascination with dolls is very much due to the impact of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation figures. Filled with the oddness of the object inanimate that nevertheless shows signs of life, characters such as Captain Scarlett or Lady Penelope, created a deep feeling of cognitive dissonance. Are they or aren't they?
Although fashion dolls do not speak and gesture (yet) as these Supermarionation beings did, they still provide the dollector with an opportunity to explore their dynamic stillness and expressive silence. Because they do not respond in the manner of things animate, we make every effort to establish an eloquent form of communication with these representations of ourselves. We imagine that such may be the case too for collectors of full-size fashion mannequins. Which brings us to the fabulous dolls of this entry.
D.A.E. Originals created Vivian the Miniquin in 2002 and Monty the Miniquin joined the line in 2005. With a storyline that delves deeply into alternate forms of consciousness, Vivian and Monty opened up a world where we, humans, were the ones not capable of perceiving their activity. Both dolls were frank about their inanimate nature - they were mannequins at Diamonds Department Store - but that did not stop them from having complex emotional lives.
20 years later, D.A.E. Originals brings back Vivian and Monty at their most uncanny: articulated and glass eyed, the mannequin pair is more suggestive of mystery than ever. And BECAUSE they do not move autonomously or speak in ways audible to the human ear, they draw us in even more into their supposedly still world.
The new collection, titled Romance Reborn, is a gorgeous offering of ultra limited resin ball-jointed dolls. Elaborate fashion sets are limited to 6, while dolls are limited to 15 of each hair color.
In this Dolldom entry, Vivian and Monty invite you to join them on an excursion of their world: the fabulous windows of Diamonds Department Store, where the perceived stillness of their poses cannot deny the dynamism of their intentions.
For more information and to acquire your own, make sure to visit the shop at D.A.E. Originals.
Menswear Department? Take the elevator to the 4th floor! Rockabilly styles? 5th floor!Custom jewelry - 1st floor!
Furniture by D. Cole for LizRetros