Artist and musician John Lee Bird started making dolls when chronic spinal problems prevented him from painting. He felt “like an alien far removed from my own existence due to the pain I was in”. When he found some sheets of felt in his desk drawer, Bird decided to make a Low-era David Bowie doll, appropriate to his mood. “When I started stitching, the little movements were soothing, and having to focus helped me ignore my suffering.” Three years and more than 1,000 dolls later, Bird is exhibiting these portraits of his friends and idols, all hand-stitched and 33cm (13in) tall. “Adversity shouldn’t stop you from creating,” says Bird. “I only get a real sense of accomplishment if I can look at something I’ve physically made. Then I can haul myself upstairs to bed and feel I’ve achieved a tiny something with my day.”
- Dolls (and other works) is at Ugly Duck, London SE1, 19-23 July. See more dolls on Instagram at @johnleebird
English (US)