Contemporary Domesticity
Contemporary Domesticity seeks to create a break in the socially acceptable relationship between mother and child, unmask the unnatural nature of a "new normal" brought on by the pandemic, and question how life has been altered by domestic burdens imposed on women. I examine women's expectations by applying my personal experiences as a mother, artist, and professional. The work engages the social and historical undertones relevant to many who face a return to domestic life due to the pandemic. Contemporary Domesticity exposes the often-overlooked link between the maternal and material. Roughly four times as many women as men have left their jobs during the course of COVID-19, and that number continues to climb. This has resulted in a crisis within a crisis. Women's equity advancements have effectively been set back an entire generation. The methods used to explore these effects involve cyanotype, an alternative photographic process, the creation of digital negatives from family photographs, and creating a workflow that is conducive to the home with little access to advanced equipment. These works also incorporate images of the women in my family, calling attention to the generational backslide currently facing women. Utilizing my childhood photographs, I visually connect the imagery of women in my family from the 1990s to the present to highlight the existing inequities over 30 years later. These generational themes shine through the found and discarded textiles that have been rendered "new" while remaining the same. Using found fabrics that are handmade, I collaborate with previous generations of women, create an intergenerational discourse, unite us in a shared experience and make the work of others visible. My goal is for this work is to convey the inherently sculptural qualities within the fiber medium as a way to legitimize the material, and to give new life to forgotten textiles previously disregarded as "women's work."
Camera Obscura
Cameraless photography
Sculpture
35mm Film
Rural America
Back to Top