The frozen textiles in the outdoor installations of Nicole Dextras appear as reflections of the natural world. In her “IceShifts” series, her process has a particularly Victorian effect, as she replaces the head and extremities of a human with plant matter. The result is both haunting and elegant.
On the piece “Bouquet,” in particular: “This outdoor installation of ice-covered dresses was created to resemble an alluring bouquet of fantastical plant life summoned from the underworld. It appears out of the frozen earth like the mythical man eating trees of folk fiction. It has more in common with the Venus flytrap than the Valentine sentiment. In addition, the presence of women’s clothing also refers to the deep seated fear of the Man-eating female in science fiction and pagan myth.”
See more of her work below.
