Fashioned Faces

Like dancers moving with delicate confidence, the faces in the installation above emerge from layers of gauzy fabric with unexpected power. Artist Benjamin Shine creates depth and dimensionality in the portraits with tulle (tool). Shine first worked with tulle—commonly used to make ballerinas’ tutus—while designing clothing. Then he realized he could also use the thin nylon as a medium to make visual art. 

Shine folded, pleated, ironed, and sewed more than 6,500 feet of tulle. To create the facial features, he carefully layered the fabric. Light passes through the thinnest areas, creating the highlights. The densest areas become the shadows in the two portraits. Shine spent nearly three months working on this installation in Canberra, Australia.