Danielle Waters

Artist Statement

University: Staffordshire University

Course studied: BA (Hons) Fine Art

Degree: 2:1

Project: Using mass media techniques I seduce my audience into a false security. My work plays with the conventions of pornography, filmic romance and gratuitous violence


In fashion the intention of clothes is to adorn the body, but this is never the case on the catwalk. On the runway fashion is in denial of the anatomy, clothes dictate how the body should be, bodies change to fit the clothes.

The body of my work consists of a variety of sculptures, installations and photography. The sculptures are either made of pure sugar or a combination of ready-mades and sugar alterations. Sugar is a domestic everyday substance which can be transformed through a simple but aggressive process. The result is a sheer ephemeral surface, simultaneously fragile and robust. It has an unpredictable nature, like that in the human body. There is an inevitable process of natural decay. The fact that the sugar is edible is an important factor to how the work is read in context to the subject, fashion.
Installation has come to the forefront of my work. I am no longer satisfied with just making sculptures, I feel that creating environments for the work to be situated in is more effective and gives the pieces added depth. This means I have control over everything that the viewer perceives. I am in control of lighting, sound, smell and vision. I also like the temptation of taste to be present.

Documenting the nature and behaviour of my installations and sculptures via photography is vital. It is also a way of developing the individual pieces further; I like to approach the work with my camera as a fine art tool, challenging how it is viewed and shedding new light on the sculptures.

Danielle Waters