Ain't She Sweet
A collection of films and installation, 2017, 2019, 2022
These experimental films look at historical and contemporary perceptions of women, exploring the effects of media, advertising and other popular culture. The films questions whether images and text from magazines and advertisements sells an illusion, destroys self esteem and encourage us to be someone else or a 'better' version of ourselves.
I Died for Beauty was selected for SVOX.TV Film and Video Arts channel in 2020.
Credits
Music (collage animation): Peter Richards
History Does Matter
Why do we bother with history? Here's my reasons why it is important to me as an artist and how I approach it.
History does matter. It connects us to the present. Gives us a foundation for the future. History helps us appreciate what we have today. Gain a better understanding of our culture.
History can be boring. Artists can enliven the engagement of the subject. They can bring new thinking and a fresh approach within a contemporary context.
History can be misinterpreted, fabricated and sentimental. Every detail can't be included. Artists decide what is significant, emphasising or excluding parts of a story, possibly distorting the truth.
Ultimately the artist work should aim to awaken the curious mind and stimulate further enquiry.
Learn More
Why do we bother with history?
Hysterical Females
Film, 2017
Set in an imagined Edwardian world, Hysterical Females follows Esther, a young woman navigating a surreal and oppressive environment shaped by patriarchal beliefs. The film responds to historical attitudes towards women, where suffragettes and others were dismissed as hysterical, irrational, or dangerous. Drawing on early surrealist ideas and the uncanny, the narrative is fragmented and disjointed, blending fantasy, discomfort and rebellion. Female figures are seen as dolls, objects and performers, manipulated not only by men but also by older women upholding the same systems. The work questions how much has really changed, revealing echoes of past control in today’s expectations.
From Girl to Doll
Film & Installation, 2022
In this immersive installation, over 50 dolls, sprayed and hand-painted in designs inspired by bondage, hang in formation, inviting the viewer into a dark, provocative world. At first glance, they appear decorative and vulnerable, reduced to unconscious objects of desire. But on closer inspection, their presence begins to shift: they confront, they claim space, they assert power.
The work draws inspiration from Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism by Natasha Walter, and reflects on themes of control and history found in George Orwell’s idea that “He who controls the present controls the past.” The title From Girl to Doll echoes this sentiment, suggesting how dominant narratives shape not only women’s futures but also their identities from childhood.
A distorted film loop featuring the first Barbie commercial and archival fragments flickers in the background, disrupting nostalgia with discomfort.
Originally shown at LAC's Weight and See exhibition in the Undercroft Gallery, Norwich, the installation invited visceral reactions from audiences:
“The dolls scared me but really made me think.”
“Loved the suitably sinister doll film and installation.”
“That Doll installation piece is just incredible.”
“Very moving.”
“The dolls are traumatising.”
“10/10! Amazing work!”