Mo Regulinski
Artworks & Exhibitions
Please contact Affirmative Health & Art Alliances for more infomation about adding an artistic and viseral message to your next diabetes gala, medical convention, auction or meeting.
We offer speaker services, custom exibitions, flash runway shows, and artist talks. This highly viceral aftwork lays open the truth about living with Type 1 Diabetes. .
REGALIA
Regalia: Healing Avatars
Regalia incorporates Type 1 Diabetes medical disposables used by the artist into wearable works of art. Each avatar represents a positive aspect of healthy living while in the grip of a chronic health condition.
Choose beauty over despair.
Regalia: Needles
Size 12, Ultra Suede, silk, brass rivets, 24g pin nails
The Regalia series started with one question: What would the 36,794 needles I’ve jabbed into my body look like if they pointed outwards?
Regalia:Wings
Textile, size 12, 10,000 blood testing strips, 500 syringes, silk, linen, appropriated jacket. These are the wings of choice. We all have choices.
Regalia: Wings, detail
Regalia: Food
Textile, size 12, China silk, cotton acetate, orange peel, brass wire. , Almost every food choice, requires insulin to be injected.
Regalia: Food
When I was a child, any time I had a mood swing, my mom would ask, “Are you hungry?” As a person with Type 1 Diabetes, distinguishing hunger and low blood sugar is a challenge.
Regalia: Exercise
Size 12, bicycle inner tubes and tires, cut velvet, silk, grommets
Regalia Exercise garment is made of the most luxurious fabric in the seven avatar series. Exercise is available to all, free and has incredible impact on the health of the body. Exercise, she’s an effective badass!
Regalia: Exercise
Bicycling, walking and swimming are my favorite forms of exercise. These gentler forms of physical activity set up a slow burn metabolism. High intensity exercise like running, weight lifting and the elliptical trainer cause a crash and burn syndrome in my body. I still do them sometimes….
Regalia: Perspective
Textile, size 12, insulin infusion reservoirs & tubing, brass wire, black wire, cotton acetate, canvas.
I went to diabetes overnight camp at age eight. There I learned how to give myself shots AND how to macrame!
I channeled my eight year old craft enthusiast to make this piece!
Regalia: Perspective
Attitude is everything!
Regalia: Humor
Textile, size 12, canola injector pods, One-Touch and Freedom test strips, cotton twill.
Silly is good!
Regalia: Humor
Amazingly, all the models who have worn Humor… are the perfect fit.
Humor is magic!
Flash fashion show at DiabetesMine Innovation Summit in San Diego 2023.
Firework by Katie Parry
Regalia: Freedom
Size 12, silk, rhinestones
As an artist I started collecting medical disposables about 15 years ago. It was my way to create kindling for the “CURE” celebration bonfire. If I wished hard enough it had to happen….right? Freedom is always the goal.
Now, I repurpose these materials to create awareness about healthy living with Type 1 Diabetes.
Do I still believe one day I will be free of this chronic health condition?
Hell yes I do!
Be well my friends.
REGALIA
REGALIA: BLUE WINGS
The Blue Wing Series is the second set of regalia made by Mo Regulinski using Type 1 Diabetes medical durable goods to illustrate powerful living with a chronic health condition. The featured scarf form is the body canvas. Like clothing, good health practices are put on everyday.
Note: All medical debris used in the Regalia: Healing Avatar and Regalia: Blue Wing series’ were used and sanitized by the artist.
Blue Wings: Shots
5 shots a day, everyday.
Blue Wings: Insulin
Textile: linen, insulin bottles, insulin syringes, buttons, wire, beads.
5 shots a day, everyday. When my diabetes supplies truned into art supplies… I was inspired to test my blood sugar more often!
Blue Wings: Insulin, interior view
The wire used to attach medical disposables on the front of the scarf armature are left at 1/2” on the interior of the garment. The wires are intentionally placed to create a somatic response in the viewer.
Blue Wings: Shots
5 shots a day, day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day…
Blue Wings: Shots, interior view
A brilliant life with Type 1 Diabetes really depends on what is going on on the inside. Beliefs matter! Living in Joy has direct impact on diabetes control.
Blue Wings: Shots & Testing, detail
Needles and sewing, piercing and injecting, healing and health. Destroying and reinventing diabetes medical disposables. Elicits feeling in control.
Blue Wings: CGM (1 Month)
Textile: Linen, organza, insulin pen caps, beads, wire, buttons.
Constant glucose monitors are game changers. In one month of graphs there are a lot of snaggle tooth tiger lines across a 24 hour period. It’s amazing how sensitive the body is to food, stress, temperature, emotions and exercise.
Blue Wings: Shots & Testing, inside view
T1D experts look for patterns.
Boxes and buttons, red lines and gold wires. Rhythm takes over, patterns appear.
Blue Wings: Fantasy
Thoughts are creative. The truth is this Fantasy shall beome reality. We are close…
Blue Wings: Shots
5 shots a day, day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day…
Blue Wings: Insulin Pump
Textile: Linen, insulin pumps, insulin reservoir fill syringes, blood test strips, buttons, wire, beads.
Pumping insulin is great…until it’s not. It’s nice to have choices..
Blue Wings: Insulin Pump detail
These pumps are nearly indestructible! It took a jig, a router and a file to break into these tough nuts! .
Blue Wings: Insulin detail
I started collecting empty insulin bottles at 8 years old. That was the year I learned to give my own injections. The beautiful shape and the idea that the liquid within saves my life…it’s just hard to consider this container of hope, health and beauty, as junk.
Blue Wings: Shots
Textile, linen, 32g insulin pen needle caps, buttons, wire, beads.
The embellishment on this garment is intentionally unfinished. Without daily shots, life for those with Type 1 Diabetes is critically impacted.
IT’S NOT FINISHED UNTIL THERE IS A CURE!
Blue Wings: Shots & Testing
Textile, linen, 32g insulin syringes, blood gulcose test strips, buttons, wire, beads.
Shots and testing often feel like a part time job. It also creates never ending medical waste. All medical disposables in these sets of regalia are consumed by just one person living with Type 1 Diabetes. There are over 150,000 persons in the United States living with Type 1 Diabetes.
Blue Wings: Shots & Testing, interior view
The building technique of using wire and buttons to secure medical disposbles to the scarf armature re-imagines the work of piercing. Needles and fabric correlate directly with needles and flesh in artmaking.
Blue Wings: CGM, detail
Graphs and corrections, alarms and warnings; Sometimes it feels like too much information.
Blue Wings: Fantasy
Textile: Linen, cotton, organza, amythest, pearl, crystal, sequins, wire
Instead of depicting what is… Fantasy depicts desire. Undulating line graphs on a cgm dotted with tiny jewels. The jewels in life that just happen and don’t need to calculated and adjusted for: food, exercise, sleep, temperature, emotions, dancing, playing….
Blue Wings: Fantasy, interior view
There is no contact of sharp objects on the body when fantasy is worn.
Blue Wings: Freedom
Textile: Linen, organza.
Each series of Regalia ends with Freedom.
“My sister has type 1 diabetes. Through this exhibit, I understand the mecical impact on her body. This exhibit opened my eyes to the unseen struggle she deals with daily.”
Amy H. Glen Allen, VA