Renée Edmona Mathews

PROXY uses akebono paper for its resemblance to hair and skin. My compulsion to pick the fibres and pile them stem from my difficulties with Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours, namely dermatillomania and trichotillomania. BFRBs are typically ego-dystonic, meaning they are at odds with one’s core beliefs and personality. I wanted to see if aiming these compulsions outward into something creative could make the behaviour ego-syntonic while mitigating bodily harm. What came of this exploration is one sheet of paper that was left alone, and another that was picked clean of its inclusions. Installing these sheets next to each other with the fibrous evidence piled in the middle emphasizes the amount of meticulous work this behaviour requires and the toll it takes on the body. PROXY is a way of not only accepting the BRFB, but working with it.