I have been exploring the subject of absence and presence in relation to loss, mourning and the clothing left behind after death. It considers how these once-worn items, which remain as traces, can exert a powerful emotional pull. Clothes which once belonged to a person can simultaneously emphasise his or her absence whilst paradoxically also evoking a presence and I am interested in exploring this idea further.

By giving expression to loss and grief through the use of disembodied clothing, my work reflects on how these clothes “remember” the physical presence of the body. Much of the work uses the visual language of decay and dereliction, layering materials and processes to mirror and describe loss and grief. The objects also explore the tension that exists between the transience of existence, the body which is gone, and the more permanent nature of material “stuff” which remains.

During this residency, I aim to develop my ideas  through different materials. My work strives to allow materials to speak for themselves, and emotional resonance is evoked through both the sense of materiality and also the method of making of the artefacts. By widening my repertoire of materials and techniques I want to explore how this emotional resonance can be developed even further. The feedback from tutors and students will provide valuable insight into how I can materialise this aim.