Determinism
Where ever we go, we shall lead the way for our daughters
This final major show from Walsall College HND Fine Art Students Katie Hobday and Sharon Powers is an enquiry into the implications of everyday events in their lives, both past and present and how they will inevitably have an effect on the future.
The exhibition is a collaboration showing an enquiry into motherhood. For Katie and Sharon, how they feel as mothers themselves is a relevant and important area of everyday concern. Some aspects of motherhood remain marginalised and often overlooked, from pregnancy testing kits to infant blankets, to the contact and interaction between mother and daughter.
The collaboration is brought together with a piece of work based on the family tree, with the use of text, cross-stitch and drawings that explores the relationship between mother and daughter.
Vinyl text will be used on the large window displaying the word “UNCONDITIONAL” in black, bold text. The text represents the effect of a child looking up at the parent. The word is associated with unconditional love, love that both mothers have for their daughters.
A series of yellow balloons will be used by Katie to show a play on words, with the idea of “the birds and the bees”. The installation will consist of a number of balloons with an image of a bee which has been drawn on by her daughter. The balloons are tied together using curling ribbon, which are then tied to a bee balloon that is connected to an ornamental bird. Hence the phrase “the bird and the bees”. Katie has also used a number of baby blankets to express short phrases or words in the means of text using ribbon.
Sharon has made a sound piece using the record and edit programme on a Nintendo DSI . She spoke the word “determinism” into the DS, and in turn this was changed into a trumpet sound. This was then played by her daughter on her cornet. To complete this piece Sharon was taught how to play the cornet by her daughter. Whilst attempting to play the cornet Sharon asked her daughter to put the sound played by cornet into words. To which she replied “Hello my little duck”.
Sharon has also explored the emotional bond that mothers and daughters can share that begins at birth through eye contact. Sharon reversed the roles of her and her daughters by getting them to hug her as she would hug them to express the bond they share. Photographs were taken and work was produced in direct response to the images.
Preview night on Friday 4 June, 6pm – 8pm, everyone welcome!
