"I felt that my own work was now becoming identified with my person…whatever one paints must be constantly re-examined, torn apart, if that seems to be indicated, and reassembled in the light of new attitudes or new discovery."
‘The Shape of Content’ by Ben Shahn

The work undertaken in the last few years derives from a continued interest in memory, identity and the potential for capturing a moment in time from my own personal history. Sometimes this has been a direct reference to a real experience or one that has been imagined. With these ideas in mind, the pieces for each exhibition take the form of 3D dress constructions in an attempt to embody and reflect particular styles, attitudes and personalities across different generations from the past to the present day.

Reminiscences about particular garments range from imagining a 1950s ballroom whilst contemplating a Victor Sylvester record sleeve as a child to meditations on early adulthood including my own wedding. My most recent installation was inspired by my mother’s memorable ‘Venetian’ skirt, caught on camera by my father on a warm summer’s day in 1963. Female members of the family were gathered together in the garden with the pet budgie to pose for a particular snapshot.

The figure has always been a central focus in my work and a vehicle for personal expression; however, in order to investigate these particular ideas in the form of clothing I have used a range of moulded recycled materials, notably polythene in combination with suspended light. More recently I have also incorporated sound in various forms in order to capture the atmosphere of the moment.

In practical and theoretical terms, the recycling theme has enabled me to deconstruct ideas about memory and identity whilst considering the wider social, cultural and personal implications of these areas. For instance, within the last two years, pieces have been exhibited in the form of individual installations to address particular qualities as well as conflicts inherent in human nature. The most recent installation, ‘Melodies Unheard’ observed those most associated with relationships and close family ties, including the key ideas of protection and entrapment, central to thoughts, feelings and actions across successive generations.

"Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music: - do I wake or sleep?"
‘Ode to a Nightingale’ by John Keats

Alison Hermon
August 2007