Mia Coakley

For my Final Major Project, I created a piece that explored the emotional and evolving relationship between a mother and daughter, told through the medium of prosthetics and makeup artistry. The narrative began with a woman in the final stages of pregnancy and followed the progression of both mother and daughter as they grew and changed physically, emotionally, and relationally.

Makeup and prosthetic work played a central role in illustrating the passage of time and the transformation of both characters. I moulded, created and painted both a pregnancy belly and life size baby head out of silicone. I created subtle ageing techniques to reflect the early years, gradually incorporating more advanced prosthetics to show the effects of time on the mother. As the daughter aged, I employed character makeup to subtly convey her transition from childhood to adulthood and, eventually, motherhood herself.

This project was deeply personal, drawing inspiration from my own relationship with my mother. It allowed me to explore not only emotional storytelling but also the techniques of using prosthetic and makeup effects to support a narrative. The process strengthened my ability to convey time, emotion, and character development purely through visual transformation.