Pamela DeTuncq

Mixed Media Artist

Flock

installation view, Boise Art Museum

This Installation depicts a group of six contemporary teens engaged in their communication method of choice -- texting. Cast from actual teens and holding real cell phones, they are clothed in hand-sewn hoodies and needle-felted jeans. This familiar "uniform" of contemporary youth points to the safety of conformity at a time of personal upheaval and social awkwardness. How electronic media impacts the behavior and mindset of this group at such a developmental juncture is the focus of this work.

FLOCK, 2011, wool (raw and needle-felted), hydrocal and cell phones. Life-size cast figures with variable dimensions. Studio view.
These life-size adolescents are deeply engaged in a familiar form of communication that keeps them connected to their peer group, yet isolated from the world around them. Cast from actual teens, this installation addresses issues of conformity, technology, and what it means to be a contemporary teen.

FLOCK, 2011, wool (raw and needle-felted), hydrocal and cell phones. Installation view with graffiti collaboration by teen artists.
Cast from actual teens and holding real cell phones, these figures are clothed in hand-sewn hoodies and needle-felted jeans. This uniform of contemporary youth points to the safety of conformity at a time of personal upheaval and social awkwardness.

FLOCK, Left: detail; Right: installation view
Casting each model's face from life serves to provide a direct analog of contemporary human beings. In this way they become as virtual as the world they are experiencing through technology.

FLOCK, Left: installation view; Right: detail
Flock employs wool collected from sheep ranchers in rural Idaho to create clothing for the present-day teens in this mixed media installation. The needle-felting of wool is the oldest of fiber-craft traditions and the antithesis of technology. Addressing a contemporary issue using an ancient craft skill gets to the heart of this project's compelling dual nature.

FLOCK, detail
A large part of an adolescent's sense of self is advanced through identification with peers, some of which looks like it always has.

FLOCK, detail
Flock shines a spotlight on the contemporary phenomenon of texting and electronic media and it's impact on the behavior and mindset of adolescents at a significant developmental juncture.

FLOCK, Left: Teen model with life-cast in artist studio; Right: Work in progress. artist studio

FLOCK, mold making with alginate of teen model's face

FLOCK, Left: teen model with life-cast in artist studio; Right: work in progress, artist studio

CONTACT

Post Office Box 4287
Hailey, ID 83333

Cell: 208.309.1976

email@pameladetuncq.com

ABOUT

Through her diverse sculpture, conceptual artist Pamela DeTuncq addresses some of the more compelling zeitgeists of contemporary American culture. After years in the design industry, she now applies her skills to multi-layered sculptural work addressing such disparate themes as teen alienation, gender stereotypes, and the vicissitudes of faith.
She earned her MFA in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston and BA in Graphic Design from the University of Maryland. Her work has been shown nationally, with the Dennos Museum recently adding one of her fiber installations to their permanent collection.