‘Talk Your Jaw Off’

£100.00

‘Talk your jaw off’ by Leesa Espener relates to a deeply personal exploration of the social and political consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing a parallel between the spread of viral information and COVID19, it aims to be a visual representation of this era, focusing on the mouth, and challenging how we approached these unique circumstances.

 

Having previously made appliances to surgically move jawbones, Leesa was interested in the idea of the mandible being the ‘talking bone’. This piece engages the wearer when the jaw is in a closed position, preventing speech. It reminded her of the Radium Girls, who suffered dissolved jawbone as a result of licking radium from paint brushes. She wanted this to look like an old surgical appliance, the copper has been brushed to show the appliance has been used.

 

Materials: Copper. Measurements: 10 x 6 x 3 cm.

SKU: LEJ3 Category:

Artist Bio

Leesa’s body of work relates to a deeply personal exploration of the social and political consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing a parallel between the spread of viral information and COVID19, it aims to be a visual representation of this era, focusing on the mouth, and challenging how we approached these unique circumstances. An often satirical look at contemporary issues affecting us while expressing the challenging social landscape and exploration of political commentary. Leesa draws inspiration from past and current social and political reality to engage and provoke. Utilising a variety of materials to convey subject matter and concepts, she hopes to question how we interact with the influx of media and the world around us.

 

Her work is deeply personal, touching on mental health, domestic abuse, love, pain and grief. Her approach is often experimental, pushing the limitations and expectations of materials to express ideas and emotions to make them tangible. Many of the works are the result of taking an often abstract concept or memory and examining it through a lens of retrospection and honesty.

 

Leesa previously manufactured facial prosthesis as manager of a maxillofacial laboratory in the NHS. This background provides an awareness and sensitivity to pain and anxiety in other and an appreciation of different materials and techniques.