Melissa Martinez

My Dollhouse, 2024

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Wooden Dollhouse Structure, 24.49 x 17.8 x 4.02” and Wooden Box, 10.6 x 7.9 x 5.7

 

This project is a promise made from Martinez’s childhood self to speak on behalf of those who are often silenced by family trauma. The main goal in this project is to educate people about substance abuse and provide a voice for those affected by similar trauma who are not able to share what they are going through. This dollhouse is a visual representation of the struggles that plagued the artist and their family as a result of living with a person in active addiction.

 

Each room invites viewers to explore the different scenarios and real life experiences the family faced together using mixed media to represent different feelings or events that took place in their lives. A mixture of acrylic paint and foam were used to adorn the dollhouse and its rooms and printed photographs as well as personal objects decorated the spaces inside. Light fixtures will be placed both outside and inside to bring life to the rooms of the house and play a role in creating the mood and context for these spaces.

The wooden box beside the dollhouse contains wooden dolls to represent the artist’s family and were strategically painted to showcase their roles within the dollhouse structure. The box as well as the dolls were painted with acrylic and contain led lights to illuminate the inside of the box.

 

For this project, Martinez chose to target memories from their teenage years as those were a time where they had to keep our struggles hidden from the rest of the family. They often had to put up a facade similar to the perfect stage a dollhouse sets for young children, and this can show viewers who may not have much experience with such subjects that their lives are not much different than they may seem. Martinez hopes to also showcase the brighter side of things by reserving a room in the dollhouse for happy photographs and mementos of their family, inviting viewers to experience a brief glance into the real parallels of the dollhouse. They hope for viewers to separate the hostility of the effects of substance abuse from the true nature of the person who it consumes.