Futakuchi Onna

Character/costume design based on the Japanese folk tale of the 'Futakuchi Onna' or two-mouthed woman. The story tells of a man and his wife who mysteriously never eats and speaks little. He discovers one day a monstrous mouth on the back of her head devouring food. Many women in Japanese folklore are inflicted with supernatural diseases, and I have always had a fondness for these ‘hideous’ creatures, whose diseases are often reflections of fears society places on women – independence, wrath, and in this case, excessive consumption. The theme of consumption has been important in my practice, as a means of exploring cultural and sexual relations. I want to explore consumption as a means of dissecting power dynamics, and how mythology shapes our perception of history as well as modern media.