ALISON DOLLERY

Since 2015, I have been documenting my journey of having bariatric surgery through drawings, documents, reflective writing, theoretical writing and medical records. I continue to document my ongoing medical journey and body as it transforms through age, whilst living with long-term health conditions. 

After undergoing bariatric surgery in 2017, I embarked on a journey of self-healing and acceptance of my transforming body, including the excess skin and drastic changes to my appearance.

At first, this process was incredibly cathartic, although I felt too embarrassed to share how I had lost the weight. This was because of the stigmatisation of firstly having a morbidly obese body, and then the criticism of how I chose to lose weight. 

In addition to documenting my experiences with bariatric surgery, I have researched and explored the stigma associated with weight loss and obesity, as well as the challenges that come with living with extreme weight loss and long-term health after surgery.

I have recorded all my experiences and research in my "Manufactured Body Archives,/ Body as a Canvas and Archive" which have prompted more profound questions about how we can better understand and address our bodies in society. How can we prevent or avoid judgment, stigma, and comments about others' body types and health conditions? Alongside multiple other subjects of handling the 21st-century body. 

Can we take responsibility for our bodies differently? Can we reimagine them and experience them differently? 

What is the future of our  21st-Century Body? 

(Dollery2020-2024) Various essays submitted for the BA (Hons) Fine Art at the University for the Creative Arts (Open College of the Arts).