IDEAL MATCH

©2002  Stephanie Cunningham

Expanded PVC Sheet, Chalkboard Paint, Chalk, Laserprints

4 Couples: Males 36 x 72 inches,     
Female (varies) appox. 24 x 65 inches

Ideal Match is inspired by the rise of on-line dating communities. In this format personalities and needs must be summed up for evaluation in less than 300 words. The work consists of four heterosexual “couples.” The man in each couple is made up of a collection of on-line descriptions of  “ideal mates” written by single men that matched the criteria of the corresponding woman. These text portraits contradict the myth of the allusive bachelor by revealing his vulnerability. Each woman is the silhouette of an actual woman—her body is a chalkboard surface scribbled with words she chose to describe herself. The specific form and changeable criteria of the women allows each to exist as an evolving individual rather than a statistic. The temporary presentation of the men shifts the act of selection to the woman.