SHAPE-SHIFTING:
reimaging mothering and mother-being
Shape-shifting is a contemporary representation of mothering and mother-being. It rejects the age-old Madonna and Child trope—a utopian image and ideal devised by the male gaze, bolstered by religious convictions—and spotlights personal lived experience.
It acknowledges the mother’s selfhood: mother-being and artist-mother. They are different overlapping states of being. Mothering is an active and ever-changing state. This work defies the one-dimensional representation of mothers and mothering with a limited focus on the practical aspects of mothering.
The work explores the intersubjective and relational dynamics between my two daughters and myself. These relationships directly influence my photographic methodology. The photographs become objects of convergence: feminist mothering within the domestic space; projection, reflection and mirroring.
Invocation Series
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becoming/being
2017
Moving portrait Still
The moving portrait becoming/being (2017) speaks to the multiple selves (mother, artist, woman, daughter, sister) contained within me. It addresses the shift/s that take place when becoming a mother—physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, financially—remaining the same, yet forever changed. It applies to the constant motion/flux between mothering, mother-being and making work and my attempt to reconcile these different moving parts.
The mother/I is/am sitting instead of standing as work gets tiring and the mother/I is/am not a statue. The mother/I is/am also not a towering figure, but at times is/am almost completely overwhelmed by her/my children and the demands of mothering, work and life. Yet she/I remains/remain steady, holding on to her/my identity and stability. Here, the mother is the subject, and not exclusively in relation to her children.
It also alludes to the fact that my children are with me, always, even when they are not (physically).
Imprint Series
Breakfast
2016
Video Still
Breakfast (2016) is a moving portrait that depicts my children’s weekday breakfast ritual during school terms. The video portrait juxtaposes an imagined “perfect” breakfast setting with the real circumstances surrounding their breakfasts. Despite the setting appearing to be less than ideal, it is our reality.
Our perfection lies in creating our own version of perfection, in defiance of superficial breakfast norms.
Breakfast is a nuanced example of lived mothering informed by mother-being as opposed to motherhood. The moving portrait reflects the constant changes in life, the passing of time, and reminds us that one moment is never the same as the next and that no day can be repeated. Our life is not static, nor relegated exclusively to the actual domestic site/home.
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