Michaela Haynes

The human torso, housing our most critical organs, is the core of the human body. Life is marked by the rising and falling of our chests, and our passions and fears are stored in our guts and our hearts. In “100 Calls”, Michaela labours over 100 individually crafted torsos, each adorned with flowers sketched over the course of the lockdown. Each torso honors one woman and her story, representing the 100 calls the police in England and Wales receive on average every hour relating to domestic abuse (HMIC, 2015). With strips of clay like bandages, Michaela builds each torso up in a symbolic act of care and empathy, tending to the often-unseen wounds that come from domestic abuse. The hand-traced flowers on each body signify the processes of healing and change that may follow, as well as a hope for a better future.