Stella Roper

To become the "impression-er", the impetus, and the tool...

My performances serve as ongoing investigations into the physical limits of my body’s reach and the ways I am stretched through the extensions.

Body-Tool Box  (2024)

In my art practice, my body serves as both a subject and a template for mark-making exploration. By casting parts of myself to create "bodily extenders"—artificial appendages made from materials like wax, latex, polyurethane foam and steel —I expand my physical reach, pushing beyond my body's natural limitations.

When in performance mode, I move within a demarcated/selected architectural space, marking the interior surfaces through controlled, deliberate gestures. Within Body-Tool Box, the marks left from previous performances accumulate and the documenting ‘lens’ is the exhibition space itself.

As an artist who is conveniently human, I am uniquely positioned to explore these themes by using myself as the "impression-er", the impetus, and the tool. However, when I perform in smaller, confined spaces, such as a window space, I encounter new challenges in accessibility. These confined environments reshape my interaction with space, revealing new dimensions in the relationship between my presence, my body, and the limitations imposed by the boundaries around me.

Through this continued series of performances, I aim to deepen my understanding of the body's boundaries and the ways they can be expanded through casting and tool-creation methods.