The Story of Hawthorn. My body of work is based on a fairy tale I wrote that is semi-autobiographical but also fantasised. It is based on my dreams, nightmares, memories, and imagination. The story is inspired by Greek and Shakespearean tragedy with influences from Gothic art, Irish folklore and mythology. I tried to capture a sense of childhood wonder and magic in the creation of the narrative, a feeling of otherworldly ambiguity in the visuals. The underworld and the supernatural influence the animosity of the tale. It is set in another dimension or alter reality. There are pivotal moments of drama touching on themes of love, family and loss. Fairy tales characteristically are dark and have warnings for adults and children. My themes of entrapment, death, murder, suicide, guilt and grief capture the vulnerabilities of the human condition. There are scenes of violence and cannibalism adding vulgarity to the story. The characters are brought to life using costume making, selected props and make-up, then photographed acting out various scenes in a church ruin, providing rich visual material for art making. The outcomes are theatrical and tell the story through film stills. I depict myself in the photography offering an introspection of my inner thoughts and feelings and their relationship to the character. The processes used in my art making are costume design and dressmaking, performance, photography, batik, stitch, sublimation printing, glass casting, and painting on glass. I use a sound element in my work using my reading voice to create an atmosphere and undertone to the work.
