Stephanie Metz. The unnatural story of a teddy bear
Stephanie Metz called her woollen project "The Unnatural History of the Teddy Bear", drawing attention to the problems of ecology and wildlife conservation. The "inside view" of the teddy bear, which is subjected to anatomical detailing and even "conservation", gives the project an acute social meaning.
Teddy bears seem trivial at first glance: toys for children and symbols of innocence, comfort and nostalgia. But the teddy bear is also an allegory of how humans manipulate the natural world for their own ends. The anatomy of the teddy bear is designed to appeal to the biological response of adult humans to care for their cute, defenceless babies with round facial features. The tiny, sharp teeth on my teddies' skulls serve as a reminder of the top predator that inspired them.
To create my natural history teddy bear subjects, I start with different breeds and process the physical "evidence" of their biological history into needle wool, a material ideal for depicting the fluffy and soft, yet hard and structural bones and tissues of soft toys.
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