My visual arts practice spans various mediums. Works have a strong storytelling context combined with drawing, painting, embroidery, writing, photography, print, text, book-making and multimedia. This has developed into the combination of text, image and visual objects to form installations — or as I prefer to think of them — three-dimensional stories. Through this process I investigate a time in history, while exploring just how far imagination can take you: creating plausible stories and characters, who inhabit imaginary lives. This allows me to explore my idea of time-travel, in which I am artist, historian, explorer, anthropologist, curator, scientist and storyteller.This way of working is best illustrated with the works ‘Witchcraft & Romance‘ (2012) and ‘Dark Lane Village/Madame Piröska‘ (2011).
Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1996 with a MA in Fine Art, I've exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally, with work featuring in collections such as The British Library and The Victoria & Albert Museum. Originally from central London I moved to Birmingham in 2004, where I've developed an expansive and successful participatory practice working with creative professionals, young people and community members, and working with organisations in the region such as The Public, Creative Partnerships, Multistory and Laundry.
I was the recipient of an international bursary in 2009, enabling me to lead my participatory practice in a way that also echos my personal practice — exploring place, history and storytelling — and leading to a more collaborative way of working with others. This is best illustrated by the works: ’Café Conversations’ (2010) and ‘Love Stories from the Dance Floor’ (2011). These works while participatory, evolved solely from her own ideas.
This is the future development of my practice: combining personal and participatory work, engaging non-arts people in the creation of my three-dimensional stories and seeking those opportunities internationally.
