(30/03) Final concept

Taking the phrase of ‘Don’t lose your head’ literally. The imagery of the head not being cleanly attached to the neck but held securely in your hands, or tucked under an arm in order to keep it with you. That without those measures of consciously having to keep ahold of it, it can be very easily left behind. No blood or gore at the stumped neck, just a clean cut illustrating the point. That even if you could balance it up there it would not stay, it could easily role away, untethered.

I briefly played with the idea of jellyfishes to illustrate the point as creatures with no brain and yet are associated with an ethereal beauty, but found the impact lacking in comparison.

The figure is a bit shakespearean, Hamlet's to be or not to be, bringing in a familiar image but challenging you to look again. The phrasing's meaning could change with the new context like the other phrasing I've been looking at.

For the material I've decided on paper mache due to what I have available to me at home for the base head. Also it is easily manipulated, which will allow for a lot of texture, whist also not being too heavy to suspend with one arm. But also be structurally sound, that I do not have to worry about it being damaged or holding up when I use it to make a mould.