The Bariatric Body and Bariatric Maintenance Art.
Living with Metobolic Bariatric Surgery Research 2015- Ongoing.
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. Concealing my choice to have MBS was because of the stigmatisation I was experiencing, firstly having a morbidly obese body, and secondly the criticism of how I chose to lose weight.
In addition to documenting my experiences with bariatric surgery in writing and artworks, 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. Alongside related subjects such as eating disorders and body image.
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?
(Dollery2020-2026) Various essays submitted for the BA (Hons) Fine Art at the University for the Creative Arts (Open College of the Arts) and the Royal College of Art 24-26 and University of Sunderland 2025 ongoing, including peer-reviewed publications.
Please get in touch with me to view the full Body of work.
The Bariatric Body in Contemporary Art and Written Research.
The Bariatric/ Manufactured Body In Contemporary Art. How do I take responsibility for the bariatric body in contemporary art practice? DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16203.25124 published 2022.
Further research available on request.
Alison is believed to be the first British artist to use their body in art to show a body that has been medically transformed (NHS) and manipulated through surgical interventions in contemporary society (Metabolic Bariatric Surgery).
Documenting and making artworks since 2017 through practice research and written theory based upon her lived (living) experience of MBS, medicine, health and care alongside a body that has been every dress size from a size 8-26. Her work on body image is thought-provoking and changes perceptions of what a body can be and the future of our bodies (Research Dollery, RA, RCA, UCA, UOS 2020 ongoing).
Bariatric Art Documentation 2024
Small sample of the multiple images, texts, artworks, drawings, documentation from my surgery and experience of living with Bariatric Surgery.