2009 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

The original idea for the bra as we know it today came in the early 1900’s invented by Otto Titzling, whose girlfriend was a well endowed fledgling opera singer, Swanhilda Olafsen. Corsets however originated back in the Menoan Age about 2000 B.C. and were originally designed to be worn outside of an undergarment to accentuate the waist and bust.

In this category we challenge you to think outside of the box. We have already received entries created with such mediums as cigarette butts (“Smokin’ Bra”) and live growing grass. (“Breast Inplants”). You will get more points if you construct the entire piece from scratch rather then adorning an original manufactured piece.

Mettlesome Bra
Tam Harrington
Sechelt , BC		 2005 Category Winner

Cloth, aluminium and stainless steel

My work is constantly inspired by cultural symbols of the past and present. For me the brassiere will forever be synonymous with the women’s movement. They can be a necessary evil for some, whose quest for the perfect fit is unending.

They are a women’s armor as well as her prison, but they can be also be a power tool for seduction. As a collector of shiny objects I am particularly attracted to those with a domestic edge. My sculpture pieces are meant to be a humorous look at items typically associated with the women’s domain of our mother’s generation.
Peek a Boo
Caroline Miller
Pemberton, BC		 2005 Second Place

Copper, brass, glass, photographs

Peek a Boo is a forged copper chest plate with photographs of a man spying through the nipples. I made this chest plate in response to the subtle art of boob watching.

By testing the piece out in various environments I learned several things about it. When my boy friend wore it to a party he received stares and careful inspection of the nipples. On the other hand when I wore it to a Halloween in North Vancouver I had conversations with several men and most completely ignored it, diverting their gaze.