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Delighted to have been part of Liminal Boundaries, run by Questa non È Arte (This is not Art)* and Deptford Does Art* at Brookmill Pub, Deptford, London on the 11th November. I displayed pieces from the Mütter Collection for the first time! My own piece featured a live knitting demonstration, and also an interaction based on the 7 Deadly Sins.
It was great being part of such a vibrant and exciting project - and loved the diverse range of art forms. The festival featured artists across a range of media (painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography and film), with live performances, bands and DJ's.
The Mütter Collection
The collection was created in response to recent political events, and the subsequent debate on the role and status of women. The sculptures examine the conflict between individual needs, against the pressure created by society to conform to a standard role and beauty ideal.
I am greatly inspired by Sigmund Freud’s and Carl Jung’s research into our early psychosexual development - how this shapes us as human beings, and ultimately the nature of society. The work explores the Mother archetype, which can be both nurturing and life giving, but also terrifying and destructive. Ambiguity is created by fusing several oedipal stages into one piece - it is unclear if it is male or female, benign or malicious.
The soft, flexible sculptures subvert the nurturing associations of textiles to challenge the traditional hierarchy of the arts, where painting and sculpture = high art, while knitting and embroidery (a female craft) = low art. The homely feel of knitting becomes alien when shaped into taboo body parts and internal organs.
7 Deadly Sins
My public interaction project intertwined the Oedipus Complex with the Seven Deadly Sins, using sculptures from the Mütter series. The Seven Deadly Sins are as follows:-
Lust - love of the flesh (Phallic stage/Oedipal complex - taboo desires lead to male fear of castration)
Gluttony - love of food and drink (Oral stage)
Greed - love of material objects (Anal stage)
Sloth - absence of love or desire for exertion (Latency stage)
Wrath - uncontrollable anger (Anal stage)
Envy - resentful desire for another's traits or possessions (Phallic stage/Oedipal complex - female penis envy)
Pride - corrupt self absorbsion over own achievements or appearance (Anal stage - narcissism)
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