Boys and Girls - May 2004
Several installations comprising one or more dresses have been reformed and/or created for this exhibition acknowledging the key themes of identity and memory. As before, the work makes reference to specific events based on real experiences as well as imagined encounters.
One garment in the wedding dress installation has evolved through a direct response to photographs of my mother on her wedding day. Other pieces in the group are based on images and memories of my own marriage. Another installation incorporates children’s ballet tutus. These refer to recollections and aspirations from childhood, including those of my own daughters.
For all works, the process of reforming specific styles and dress fabrics in polythene using heat and then combining the outcomes with suspended light has allowed me to reflect upon changing and different perspectives of the clothed human form. At the same time, seeking out events and memories from the past has helped me to consider specific aspirations, relationships and feelings associated with particular garments.
The large black and white polka dot dress suspended from the ceiling makes direct reference to how, as children those close to us might be remembered and perceived.
