Miss Cox

This project by Dutch photographer Mariken Wessels (1963) is a multifaceted artistic translation of her fascination with an anonymous woman who posed for Eadweard Muybridge’s camera in 1885. In the 24-image sequence “Arising from the Ground”, the obese woman, who was supposedly named Miss Cox, can be observed as she moves from lying down to a fully upright position. Wessels was inspired by this woman to start making large clay sculptures and photographing obese female models swimming underwater. In these images she focuses on the landscapes the human body assumes when immersed in water. The book also presents studio views, sketches, and other research.