I plan to continue my work on technology, feminism and the iconography of the fall. So far I have completed ‘The Loom of Fate’, which is a large scale jacquard woven tapestry developed during my time at HCA. I have showcased a few other concepts, which will accompany it. Theses are also currently on show in the exhibition at HCA, but the current versions will need to be amended and finalised.
Once I have the final versions completed, I hope that I can find a gallery to exhibit them in.
The 3D collage style pieces you can find throughout the exhibition, and also textiles pieces are my foundations when it comes to creating. I think I will always lean on these two methods. I have developed a technique when it comes to these domains that means I can envision how something will look. This makes it easier to see a project from the initial idea through to the final outcome.
My tutor, Mandy Pritchard, said the exhibition makes the halls feel like a psychedelic cathedral - with the arches and old architecture of the building, combined with the lighting, colours and layers in the artwork, making them appear like fragmented stained glass. I feel like I have naturally adopted an interest in spirituality because my parents were atheists. It was almost anarchic of me to learn about different religions from a young age. I think this is the reason for the strong iconographic current through my work. I know a lot of people rebel against a religious force that was imposed on them in their childhoods, but for me, I grew up in a nihilistic world that made as little sense to me as I imagine an oppressive dogma does to others. I feel like I was always searching for meaning.
In my final project ‘The Creative Act’, I wanted to find a way to express how pregnancy and birth was not as dissimilar from creating an artwork as it might seem at first. For me art is about creating something from nothing and that is just like conception. In turn that reflects on the mysteries of creation as a whole. I am just a bit obsessed with the magic of life, and really that is what everything I make is about - it’s all a way to help me process those thoughts. I hope I can create a sense of awe in people that encounter my work, and maybe occasionally remind someone who might be feeling sad or disconnected that there is a lot of good in the world too.
I have found teaming art college with pregnancy and early motherhood to be so cathartic and I hope to see more space made for mothers in art schools in the future, as I believe it could help mums cope with the huge emotional and physical challenges they encounter early on. I can’t imagine how I would have coped with the onset of my matrescence without having a creative outlet for it. I would like to recommend ‘How not to exclude artist mothers and other parents’ by Hettie Judah to any professional working in the world of art.
Over the next year I plan to study coding from home and hope it might provide me with more ideas for my current work, and also keep me updated, so I can help Tawny do her homework when she gets to school age. Other than that, I will just be enjoying my time with her whilst she is small and then, in September 2025, when she is a bit bigger I hope to return to HCA to study a degree part time.
