My work refers to the ‘dark stuff’ from childhood and I approach my practice therapeutically, exploring themes of memory, trauma, religion and family. Materials have been a recurring method to create symbolism in my work, the thread something that heals and yet binds, the items found in my daily life symbolically becoming a ‘part of me’ infused in the pieces. By hoarding found materials, I seek to ‘trap’ memories into physical spaces such as jars.
Because of Covid19, there is now a shared desire to document the changes in society, which has transformed personal ideas into something universally relatable. Following on from this, I’ve been thinking about the idea of the jar as a symbol of home, just as I’ve imprisoned things into jars we are similarly imprisoned in our houses. Using vegetables has further pushed this idea as I’ve found a cathartic joy in watching the decay and mould grow, the objects almost a mirror of the disintegration of normality. As we ease out of lockdown and into a scary ‘new normal’ it reminds me of how the jar could also be a symbol for the womb and the safety felt in a limited and predictable daily routine.
