Since 1995 I have created complex time-based installations in response to derelict warehouses and public buildings, as well as the gallery space. My practice is context-specific, it references the use or history of the site where the work will be exhibited. Previous pieces have centered upon human relationships and flawed attempts to communicate. I have explored notions of ‘the self’ through the use of repetitive gestures and speech. I am also interested in using the physicality of a space -and how the viewer can be made to operate within it- to heighten the psychological impact of the work on the audience.

 

In my recent solo show “The space is empty and waiting” (BLOC, Sheffield, 2005) I created a claustrophobic environment. This incorporated seven audio and video recordings of parts of my body continuously carrying out nervous actions, such

as wringing my hands, pacing the room, tapping my foot and breathing very quickly. These were taken from durational performances lasting for up to an hour. The visitor experienced the situation of the artist trying to make art alone in their

studio: the tension, stress and frustration were palpable. The installation articulated the difficulties that can accompany the creative process and more broadly what everyone faces at times: the fear of failure.

 

 

 

 

Producing works for a single screen is a relatively new direction in my practice. While I have often used film loops as part of larger installations, it was not until invited to produce a new piece for the cinema that I made “Ssh!”(2004) on super-8 film. The siting of the work meant it was heavily influenced by films, particularly b-movie thrillers such as “The Spiral Staircase” (Siodmak 1945). This and my other shorts made for screening are often ‘tongue-in-cheek’.

 

“Olwen Returns” was shot on 16mm. film in 2005. This investigates how human emotions are depicted through forces of nature in large-screen film productions. It makes reference to ‘big themes’ from art history- the landscape; romanticism; beauty. There is no concrete story instead the piece offers up endless ‘clues’ for the audience to make their own narrative. For instance, the name in the title translates from Welsh as ‘Blessed Footprints’ and is also a heroine of the Welsh legend “The Mabinogion". The locations in the film were chosen because of their over-familiarity, we are already aware of several of the sites through their use on the small screen and in the cinema. They are places with personal relevance too- I was born and brought up in Wales and now live close to the Peak District.

 

At present I am researching films from the Forties, Fifties and Sixties in which the main female lead loses or has lost her voice. I am interested in how these portray women as ‘damaged’ or ‘mad’ and in need of being ‘rescued’ or ‘cured’ by a man. The hysteric woman is one of a very limited set of female characters in the history of film, which in turn forms part of a wider discussion about the representation of women in the Visual Arts.