Looking forward to Third Year

Over the summer I have visited numerous exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale where I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of artists on display. I was particularly inspired by Christine and Margaret Wertheim, who made a knitted reef, and luminescent wire corals. I loved the innovative use of textiles in a truly unique way, and it has definitely inspired me to branch out from purely using fabric like last year, and utilise wool and weaving more.

I have been thinking about the idea of anxiety and mental health more and how this could be physically represented, and using art as therapy. As well as this I have been reflecting on the concept of the 'strong woman', particularly after reading Dolly Alderton's book, "Everything I know about Love", and listening to numerous feminist podcasts, particularly, Sara Pascoe's "Sex, Power and Money". I'd love to marry the idea of the vulnerability of being honest about mental health, and the idea of the strong British woman through my work this year. I think that using textiles would be perfect for this, especially wool, as the idea of knitting being associated with weak old ladies really intrigues me, as the concept I'd be trying to portray would be the total opposite of this stereotype.

Therefore, before the beginning of term I will be exploring the idea of using wool and textiles as part of performance art, and how this can be utilised to present a strong woman.