Collection 1 - Nude – Pure – Us!

KALTBLUT: What materials are Enchanted
Dolls made of? They look very real, how long
does it take to create one?
MARINA: Enchanted Dolls are made of porcelain,
and one can take anywhere from 70 to 600 hours to
create, depending on the calibre of the piece. I make
just one doll at a time, and not more than a couple
of dozen a year, because of the energy they require.
Each one is a story.
KALTBLUT:Many dolls, like Barbie or other
kids dolls are very basic and plastic when it
comes to their bodies. Why did you decide
this should be different with your dolls?
MARINA: The reason I put as much effort into a
beautiful rendering of my doll’s bodies as their faces,
is because my sense of aesthetic demands wholeness.
I want it All, or Nothing!
There is actually a chapter about this in my book as
well. Dolls have an incredible potential for beauty,
because they embody and require several different
mediums within that one discipline, and it pains me
to see it wasted on mediocre dolls that don’t stretch
the limits of one’s imagination. I want my dolls to stir
something in the souls of people. I want them to be
more than just dolls.
KALTBLUT: I think you have a background in
art. Why do you think many people are still
shocked about nudity in contemporary art
when they travel hundreds of kilometres to
admire nude ancient statues?
MARINA: That’s right, I have a Bachelor or Fine Art
degree, from the Emily Carr Institute (presently University)
of Art and Design. I believe the reason nudity
is seen as normal in the format of Classical art and
sculpture, and as something scandalous in contemporary
art, is because we are creatures of conformity
and fads.
The reason we perceive the art of antiquity as valid,
credible and culturally significant work is because it’s
presented to us as such by our establishment, such
as respected museums, prestigious galleries, art
history text books and other media. While contemporary
art doesn’t always have such strong backing
simply because it’s too new and weird and a little
scary to us.
After all, who are we to know what is art and what
isn’t art? That’s for people in the distant past to decide,
right?
KALTBLUT 179
KALTBLUT: All of your dolls are very diverse,
each one is so different and special. How do
you get inspiration for their faces and characters?
MARINA:I don’t know how I get my inspiration, or
where it comes from. Everywhere, I think, but also
from the inside. I can name a few external sources,
such as writer Paul Gallico, and illustrator Sulamith
Wulfing, as well as a handful of other artists and fairy
tales, which have influenced me, but that wouldn’t
even scratch the surface. Every single thing I come
in contact with, such as a fork or a chair, rubs off on
me and plants a seed in my mind, which at some
point down the road will grow and combine with
something else and evolve into an idea for art.
I believe that what we call inspiration, is just an external
stimuli for something that is an internal instinct.
It’s a solution for a mental conflict and a fulfillment of
a subconscious desire, which was already inside of
us, but needed only a little nudge to materialize.
KALTBLUT: Where do you get ideas for their
costumes? Is it designers, movies, paintings,
art periods, different cultures, or?
MARINA: I’m not sure where to begin or end listing
my inspirations. Is a long list of names really that interesting
to read? Yes, it’s all of the above: Designers,
movies, paintings, fairy tales, historical periods,
art movements-All of it!
If I had to name one of each, it would be Philippe
Starck, Erte, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Art Nouveau
era, Dead Ophelia, ancient Oriental culture,
Sulamith Wulfing, Alphonse Mucha, it goes on and
on.
KALTBLUT: How has doll making influenced
your life? What different ways has it opened
for you?
MARINA: Doll-making hasn’t influenced my life, it IS
my life. I started making dolls as a toddler and hasn’t
been able to stop since. I lack the perspective of not
making dolls, to know how it’s influencing me. It is
the central driving force in my life, which has influenced
and formed everything else around it to suit
it best. I wake up thinking about making dolls, and I
go to sleep thinking about it. It makes me happy, because
all day long, I get to do what I love doing most,
go where ever my imagination takes me.
In fact, there is a chapter is my new art book about
this aspect of my life too. If you wish to see more of
my work and learn more about my creative journey,
then perhaps you’ll like my book. It will be available
to order in January 2012 from my webpage.