Revisiting 'Bathtub', November 2019 I have chosen to reimagine my sculpture 'Bathtub', originally made during my semester abroad in Australia. It was the last thing I made in Australia and I want to revisit and contextualise some of the motifs and emotions that it evokes. My original inspiration for the piece was to explore the uncanny and make an expansive piece of soft sculpture. It came from a place of spontaneity along with a desire to make a 'living' piece of work- frozen in time and confined. Ironically the only memory of the 'living' work are photos as it was destroyed shortly after I left. Prior to its making I knew that it would be destroyed almost 2 weeks after it's completion and knowing my work would be destroyed was liberating, giving me a whole new sense of exploration as I knew my imperfections wouldn't be permanent and therefore was willing to take more risks Prints of 'Bath' - a visual reflection Making prints from the photographs allowed me to reconnect with the work as I can't physically engage with it anymore. Seeing the sculpture as a print re-tells the story and even posthumously, the sculpture still holds its original questions and adds even more. As it's not obvious that the person in the bath is a soft sculpture, it makes the imagery even more alarming and confusing to the viewer. This is my first time re-documenting a work and I think it's translation into a different medium is very effective and something I will be trying more often. my action: To TrapTo start revisiting/reframing, I am basing my next exploration off a different bathtub that is located in my new student house in Newcastle. This fundamental change represents the change in time and place, keeping the work up-to-date. REFRAME: A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRAP Initially when I made this work I felt trapped by the current circumstance. Even though the opportunities were endless and I was surrounded by new experiences, these opportunities felt overwhelming and I longed for a feeling of home and being within my comfort zone. Due to recent events, namely Coronavirus as a whole, but especially the recent announcement of the local lockdown in Newcastle, I am physically trapped within my own surroundings. Student houses are notoriously small and I find myself wondering the same 4 rooms throughout the day- the bathroom being one of them. Re-exploring this feeling of being trapped, and re-cycling the bath motif is allowing me to project my frustrations onto this micro-project. Being physically trapped is an interesting alternative to emotionally trapped as I start to crave the opportunities and plans I had, rather feel overwhelmed and wish them away.
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AuthorFourth Year Fine Art BA Hons Student at Newcastle University currently exploring the idea of contraception and periods through the medium of soft sculpture. Archives
December 2020
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