Installation coming together

I created a loose crib shape and suspended it using fishing wire and then added the tarnished lace curtains. I found the shape of the crib became more abstract when viewed from above but this did not bother me. The concept of change is apparent in my poem.

I

 I added the soil and sequins and was pleased with the effect. I felt it was hitting some of my aims-

Creating a sense of danger through the use of thorns.

Creating something that appealed to the senses, by using tactile materials, and also the smell of soil, although this was not strong.

Showing the sinister tone of the poem, the use of thorns made into a crib, soil and the sense of burial.

Experimenting with sequins

Sequins appear in my poem

 "Can you fit into that sequinned dress?"

Here I am experimenting with large and small amounts of sequins, which become a part of my installation.

I decided to go for a lot of sequins, this is because I felt they had strength in numbers, and could also have other connotations, bleeding out from beneath the soil- the idea of trying to bury something which cannot be buried.

Making the crib

I began by cutting thorns into a loose "crib" shape. Laying them out on the floor, and estimating length and shape. A lot of the thorns I had gathered ( from a park ) had a loose curve to them which helped. I attached them to walls and chairs to help me get my positioning right and tied them together with string and then wire.
I found it useful to attach masking tape to the thorns so I didn't have to touch them directly.

I identified three main aims for my artwork-


Something that shows a sense of danger.

Something that appeals to the senses.

Something that shows the sinister tone of the poem.


I began by gathering materials that were visible in my poem, such as sequins, soil.


I decided to make a crib of thorns, I felt it appropriate to use things from the earth and also took inspiration from this line of my poem

"Does your belly ache for baby?"

This line could be talking of a baby my protagonist longs for, or a baby she has lost.


Either way this shows a "not rightness". Something she might be judged or pitied for by her peers.

I felt a sense of danger could be shown through making a crib of thorns, something you would never put a baby into. I used lace curtains dyed in tea, and rubbed in soil, to create an aged distressed effect, and surrounded the crib in soil and red sequinns, which contrast well with the darkness of the soil.

The following posts are images of me creating the crib and, then the final installation.

The starting point for the work I am creating for my final major project, is a poem.

The poem is titled "Foxglove" and goes like this-

How are you Foxglove-

I hear you’re married now.

And sometimes stitch but never draw no more.

Someone told me- just a whisper-

That you miss the jazz filled nights,

And never sing the blues outside Jay's front door.

Does your belly ache for baby?

Does camomile calm your nerves?

Does the gin still cling when you scratch your skin?

Can you fit into that sequinned dress?

Are things different now- Foxglove?

Do the crows fly closer than before?

Do the seasons ever heat the earth in Springtime?

Are you heavy on the ground.

 This poem, in my mind is set in the past, probably the 1920s or 30s, and tells the story of a woman who once led a wild life. She gets married, settles down, but something is not quite right. I hope the poem has a sinister tone, from an all knowing observer, perhaps someone from her past. This is the inspiration of my installation, which contains strangeness surrounding domestic objects and also a hint of glamour. A flashback to her old life. 

The flower, Foxglove, is a pretty, but poisonous flower, and I hope this hints at an aspect of this woman's personality. 

Foxglove

The following is an exploration of my ideas and experimentation for my final project of my 3rd year degree in Fine Art and Creative Writing.