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Carolina Stierli de Abreu

P06 → Life, Death and a Little Bit of Eye Cream

Life, Death and a Little Bit of Eye Cream

2024

Life, Death and a Little Bit of Eye Cream addresses the futility of the overconsumption of beauty products in the face of the inevitable approach of death and explores the notion of self reflection as a means of deconstruction, and vulnerability as an agent of change through a variety of media.

The ultimate truth in life is that we are born and that we die, and yet as people, we spend our entire lives fearing death and clinging to our youth with all our might. We are sold the idea that if we prep, prime, cream, hydrate, tone, mist, etc., enough, we can freeze time, but ultimately that is untrue. The weight that beauty standards place on women is part of a bigger system that works itself into their understanding of themselves, in order to use shame as a means of self-repression. These notions are so ingrained in us that it’s hard to differentiate them from our sense of self, and with this, self-reflection becomes not only a practice of introspection but also a means of liberation, to detach what in our identity is truly us and what is imposed as a part of a system of oppression. While deconstructing this on a personal level can secure individual liberation, having the vulnerability to do so publicly either during or in retrospect can lead to larger waves of change. Owning up to the shame, insecurity, and fear that we are all subjected to individually and bringing it to our community can not only help us let go of our own but can also foster a sense of camaraderie and help us accept these challenges more as universal experiences rather than individual faults.

Role

Creative Direction
Graphic Design
Copywritting
Video Edditing
Textile Design

Deliverables

Wall paper
Process book
Short Form Video
Print Invite
Quilt
Instruction manual

The process book documents the evolution of the project from archival practice (documenting all the objects in my bathroom) to itirative process focusing on reflection through making (scans, collages, skecthes, digital illustrations etc...)

The wallpaper approaches the topic through the lense of accumulation, emphasizing the futility of over-consumption in the face of the innevidability of death by juxtaposing two patterns, one that represents the prodcut consumption cycle and one that mimics the organic encroaching of decay.

The video explores similar themes of accumulation but looks to mimic the chaotic inner dialogue of self-reflection by exploring the repetitive nature of the rituals we subject ourselves to in our day-to-day routine and how the need to overcomplicate them is often tied to the sense of shame that is ingrained in us.

The invitation invites viewers to partake in the deconstruction of their relationship with beauty consumption by guiding them through a similar journey of self-reflection through a daily calendar, which at the end of the month, invites you to join a collective celebration where you can express the anger, grief, saddness or whichever emotions come up during your reflection process.

Made to be hung up in the bathroom, opposite you’re vanity mirror, the calendar creates a division between the private and the public by having the reflective questions be flipped and therefore only readable by engaging with the calendar through the mirror.

The quilt focuses on catharsis, focusing on the process of making as a vehicle for emotional grief, anger, sadness, etc., all the feelings that may come up during this process of liberation, and allowing the maker to let go of those burdens by shifting their minds from destructive repetition (see video) to creation through repetition. It also functions as a weighted blanket, playing to the idea that while this obsession with beauty is a burden thrust upon us by a system that seeks to oppress us, the same system also provides us with a false sense of comfort by selling us the idea that we might soothe our worries by consuming more and more products.

The instructional manual documents the process of the quilt and integrates the inner-emotional work that went into creating the quilt as well. This serves as a guide through the process of catharsis through creation, which empowers the viewers to take this process and apply it to their own burdens in life.