A woman has shared how she spent months making casts of people's vulvas and breasts in a bid to promote body positivity.
Lydia Reeves, 30, from Brighton, has created casts of vulvas, breasts and other body parts, after being inspired by her first body casting class.
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“I was 19 at the time and went home from that lesson and immediately tried to cast my vulva,” says Lydia.
“I’ve always been fascinated with bodies, especially the female form, and always used them as muses for my artwork.
“I dabbled in casting throughout my degree, but only really got into it properly three years ago when I decided I wanted to try creating something which helped women and people with vulvas to fully accept and embrace themselves.
“I’d struggled a lot accepting my body growing up, and thought I’d love to create artwork which gave people a chance to celebrate their bodies – an opportunity I felt like I didn’t have growing up.”
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Over the past three years, Lydia has casted 270 vulvas and 190 breasts, spending up to 12 weeks creating them. She says the time it takes varies between casts.
“Vulva casting sessions are usually an hour, and boob casting usually between one and a half to two hours," she explains.
“This is just to make the mould - the inverted version of the body part. After the session I then work on making the positive version.
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“In the casting session I apply a goop-like material to the skin, this is the bit that captures all the skin texture and the detail. This will create an inverted version of the body.
“After you’ve left the session I will then cast into that with resin (or plaster if you’re getting a plaster vulva cast) to then create the rough positive version.
“I then spend time sanding the edges, working on sorting out any imperfections from the mould, attaching hooks on the back and painting it the colour of the client’s choice.
“It’s a lengthy process with lots of stages, but the end result is so worth it.”
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Lydia says living in Brighton has helped her business, explaining it's 'very quirky'.
“I grew up in the New Forest, but moved to Brighton eight years ago after finishing my Fine Art degree,” she adds.
“I absolutely love Brighton, the city, the people in it, and of course the beach.I felt a sense of belonging when I first visited, and I couldn’t wait to move here.
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“I’m not sure how well my business would have taken off if it’d been based anywhere other than Brighton. It’s famous for being very quirky and a bit outside the box.
“I feel lucky in that I usually get such positive feedback from my work. Sometimes people don’t get it straight away, and that’s okay, it isn’t for everyone.
“But after explaining a bit of the backstory and how it can really help people, I think people really come round to the idea. I have such a wonderful community on Instagram, and on there everyone is always so supportive of my work and of new pieces that I share."
Lydia says she has two favourite casts - one of her cousin's baby bump and another of her friend in a 'powerful pose'.
“I have two favourite casts. One I finished recently of my cousin’s pregnant belly. She’s covering her boobs with her arm, and has her other hand on her preggy belly, and it’s just so serene and beautiful.
“And the other favourite of mine is of a friend who modelled for me a while back. She has her hand on her heart, covering one boob with her arm. It comes right up to her lips and down to her stomach, it’s such a powerful and elegant piece.”
Topics: Life
Lucy Devine