from Amber Hawk Swanson’s series Amber Doll Damaged (2011)

Amber Doll Damaged shows the aftermath of The Amber Doll Project, which began in 2007, when Swanson commissioned a sex doll, made of posable PVC and silicone, and modeled to look exactly like Swanson herself. They hit the road together, visiting theme parks and stopping by weddings and tailgating at football games.

Eventually, though, Amber began to fall apart, and she was formally laid to rest at an exhibition in 2008. But a few years later, she was dug up, so to speak, for another project. This time, Amber Doll’s torn and disfigured body was simply laid out in an empty studio to be silently scrutinized (and ultimately captured on camera) by Swanson—hypocrite artist—her double—her sister!