Shanell Papp has proven herself to be a versatile Canadian artist. Working in various mediums, she has crafted some stunning crochet art through her fascination with anatomy. Eventually, she has created Bawdy — a life-size crochet skeleton. Amazingly, it serves as a model of the inner workings of the human body.
Starting in 2005, her research project focused on crocheting an anatomically correct figure of the human body. It had removable organs, too. Fascinatingly, this was during her time as a student of the arts. Her school? The University of Lethbridge.
For 8 months, Shanell Papp worked on the crochet skeleton design. Apparently, she has spent just the same amount of time on the skeleton itself and its internal organs.
Her final installation involved a gurney, and the crochet skeleton was laying on it. Also, the crochet organs were there, and they all created a presentation worthy of likening into a real lab. Speaking about her craft, Papp said:
“Before making this work I had a keen interest in medical history, Frankenstein, Enlightenment thinking, the Victorian period, the birth of industry (textile production), crime investigation, mortuary practices, and museums. I made the work to explore my interest in the human body.”
Needless to say, the work of art was a big triumph for Papp. The fact is she has taught herself crocheting at the age of 9. With such anatomy with incredible details, Papp has shown how much one can do with tools as simple as crochet needles and tools. Indeed, hers was a work both of fantasy and also of technical skill.
The artist’s interests rooted in her love for both art and medical science. Fascinating combination! But long ago, Leonardo Da Vinci has already used cadavers to make accurate drawings of the human body. Plus, some other contemporary artists are now exploring anatomical drawings with twists of their own.
Artist Shanell Papp created a life-size anatomical model of the human body in the form of a crochet skeleton, with removable organs. She worked on it for 8 months.
Source: Shanell Papp