doll house exhibition Archives

19th January 202519th January 2025

Disowned

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Childhood Interrupted’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Disowned’ for the Dollhouse gallery.

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from the 30th January – 1st March 2025.

‘Childhood (noun): The condition of being a child; the period of life before puberty. Interrupted (adjective): Broken, discontinued, or hindered‘ ~ House of Smalls.

Artists taking part in the Dollhouse - Childhood Interrupted - exhibition — Artists taking part in the Dollhouse – Childhood Interrupted exhibition

Disowned

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece representing our experiences, relationships and our family – but what happens when a sibling is disowned or renounced by a parent and suddenly those we hold dear are missing from our lives.

The child is no longer welcome in the family home, not invited to family events, and for the siblings there is a wider impact.

They have to be forever cautious in conversations, they omit names for fear of further tension or conflict, and contact with those estranged requires deception for fear of being discovered.

In my own family it’s happened over two generations leaving a legacy of family rifts that decades later, still exist.

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand and machine embroidered cotton cloth, Aurifil embroidery thread, vintage Sylko thread, tea dye.

This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.

3rd February 202429th February 2024

Dementia 2 – Confusion

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Between the Lines’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Dementia 2 – Confusion ’ for the Dollhouse gallery.

‘Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ ~ Dylan Thomas. ‘Between The Lines’, an exhibition relating to ageing and all that comes with it.
House of Smalls

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, Cambrook Court, High Street, Chipping Campden, Glos GL55 6AT from 3rd February – 2nd March 2024.

About the artwork: Dementia 2 – Confusion

For years I was unsure what ‘living with dementia’ actually meant, then in early 2023 the meaning became very clear. A family member started displaying signs of confusion. On reflection, we realised that there’d been subtle symptoms of Dementia there for some time – the kind of symptoms that aren’t really noticeable when you see someone day to day – until you start to question it.

Dementia is devastating. It’s a rollercoaster of physical exhaustion, and emotional and mental anguish for both patient and carers.

This piece is part of a series about an experience of Dementia and in particular Vascular Dementia.

“Nothing feels the same…. I don’t know what’s going on” Mary S. 2023.

In the earlier stages, memory loss and confusion may be mild. The person with vascular dementia may be aware of — and frustrated by — the changes taking place, such as difficulty recalling recent events, making decisions or processing what was said by others. In the later stages, memory loss becomes far more severe. – Alzheimer’s Association.

Being forgetful, absentminded, or not quite remembering are often put down to old age or even menopause – but when does it become noticeable that there is something more going on?

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand embroidered cotton cloth, vintage Sylko thread.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia. – Alzheimer’s Research UK.

This is one of a series of small artworks that I’ve created that fit in perfectly with the scale of the Dollhouse exhibition.

Update: ‘Between the Lines’ dollhouse exhibition

13th November 202320th December 2023

Crone

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘We Are The Witches’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Crone’ for the Dollhouse gallery.

“Being a witch means living in this world consciously, powerfully, and unapologetically.” ~ Gabriela Herstik.

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, Cambrook Court, High Street, Chipping Campden, Glos GL55 6AT from 11th November – 16th December 2023.

About ‘Chrone’

“The witches in fairy stories are almost invariably old women, like the crone—withered and malevolent. Old women no longer have to contend with the vagaries of the desiring gaze, and without an inherent eroticism a woman is a creature even less knowable than before. Being a witch promises us a lodestone: a legacy, a lineage of women, weird and wise, who came before us. And it promises a compass with which to navigate the unknowable territory of growing older.” Sam George-Allen.

As a woman in my 50’s I’ve never really thought of myself as old. This year however, something happened that made me think differently.

I was sitting alone in a train station, minding my own business, and avoiding engaging in conversation with two young men. One moved in close, called me a ‘Cranky Old Woman’ and both walked away. I felt uncomfortable and I know it was meant as an insult, but it really made me think.

As women we go through years of unwanted attention from men to suddenly becoming invisible to them – but when do we cross this invisible line in time? – and at what point in our lives are we perceived by society as old, crones or witches?

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand embroidered cotton cloth, vintage Sylko thread.