Authenticity

Continuing with the theme of authenticity and developing her practice, Maddock progresses into creating her own experience and questions what makes an authentic human. Taking influences from Christmas Markets, The Puy du Fou, Scaresville experiences, Derren browns ghost train, Historical re-enactments, VR headsets and Lapland. All these experiences in some way convince their audience that what they are experiencing is real. Jeremy Deller, creator of a performance piece re-enacting the battle of Orgreave, referring to the strike of 1984 involving the National Union of Mineworkers. It was staged 17 years later, and some who took part were the original miners. This influenced Maddock’s work into taking a performative route saying: ‘I need to create a work which causes the audience to feel emotion, to question what they are feeling and thinking whilst in the search for a true experience’. The artist questioned what makes an authentic person? Which comes down to traits of the individual, however an authentic person has these key traits: -good morals and listening skills but also expresses beliefs and opinions openly. Yet humans have such depth in the ways of thought and expression which makes Maddock question, whether we even know our true selves. Perhaps, this is a reason as to why humans constantly seek the authentic. In response Maddock created a large-scale sculpture and installation. Experimenting with found materials such as sponge, fur, fake hair and packing materials Maddock produced a large-scale sculptural head. Layered upon a cardboard box and chicken wire structure is the found materials, including a variety of semi-transparent fabrics, in places to show the layering of the human mind and personality which make a body truly human. Stitching covers the layers weaving materials into shape and writing could be found inside of the head questioning the very authenticity of your thoughts and reality. Colourful textured materials spread towards the back of the head to see the piece as having a mask, but also so the piece gains an element of character, which every individual has. The sculpture was then placed with in a large installation piece which was a replica of itself. The structure is completely enclosed, with minimal light on the inside. The interior of the dome was covered in soft materials (paper and colour) with the initial sculpture centred in the middle of the dome. The outside reflects the sculpture within, as the audience enters through the mouth of the giant dome/ head to be confronted with the smaller head that’s exactly the same as the one they just entered. Maddock wants to produce feelings of selfdoubt, what makes them who they are? Do they know what they are capable of? are they truly a good person? She wants them to debate things like this, as it is this, which makes us human. We are meant to have constant doubts and question everything around us as we are always searching for what is real and what is truly authentic in our world, because we can never truly know if it is all just in our heads.