And what we see (as much as what we get) is based on our ability to question how we determine what is real. A doll is a real as its porcelain, resin, vinyl and hard plastic form, and as our powers of make-believe allow. But in some instances, the doll (and their creator) aim to take the experience to a different level and insist that we engage more deeply in the dynamic by asking us to question how we recognize (versus know) what is intrinsically human.
Anna Egorova's Alexander ball-jointed doll is one perfect example. Perhaps we look at him and react adversely (thank you, Sigmund Freud, for the uncanny) to the segmentation of his body, almost as if we were facing an autopsied body à la Frankenstein's monster. Perhaps we connect immediately with his eyes and sense his sadness (or his serenity) in the same way that we've done with a lover. But ultimately we are with him, using our own tool kit for finding the human traits with which we identify. Some may even take it further, and aim to closely read Alexander just to be able to capture that subtle gesture with which he reveals his intimate reality (thank you, Miguel de Unamuno for el querer ser). And then, the sky is the limit.
In this study of Egorova's Alexander, Dolldom invites its readers to partake of the examination of an illusion to hopefully arrive at a revelation of the self. Who Alexander ends up being will be the product of who we are. And who we are will end up being the product of who Alexander empowers us to be.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment