That's Not My Name
Installation, 2022, 2023
Responding to Normanby Hall’s Regency objects, furniture and interior, Tracy Satchwill reflects on the domestic servants’ roles, status, and identity. She draws inspiration from her interest in female power and the hall’s elaborate patterns and high-status objects, to create a body of work that focuses on the stories of maidservants.
Inspired by the history and aesthetics of the house, grounds and gardens, the artist creates the exhibition That’s Not My Name, comprising a selection of films, large-scale collages and AR experiences, that bring maids to the forefront and communicate their visibility and significance.
In the experimental film Idleness is a Great Source of Evil, Satchwill interrogates the power structures of the privileged classes, reflecting on the social injustices of working people. The film reimagines the domestic servant as an omnipresent observer, one who listens, learns, and ultimately reclaims her power, turning the gaze back on those who control her. Drawing from historical servant letters and Japanese horror, such as House, the narrative unfolds through layered techniques, including stop motion, CCTV footage, collage animation, and text-based intervention. The unsettling aesthetic and fractured storytelling mirror the maid’s fragmented existence, simultaneously visible yet unseen. The film received an Honourable Mention from the Experimental Forum for its vision and unique contribution to cinema.
In the animated film, Nancy, Satchwill builds a dream-like world, where the maid playfully pushes against the hierarchal boundaries to live for a short time in the privileged world.
Other works include Little Women, a triptych collage that depicts the beauty and splendour enjoyed by the mistress, who is unaware of the maids busily working in the background. In the large-scale collage, No One in Particular and the floor artwork, young women are revealed behind decorative designs, with the use of an augmented reality app.
The work was created during an artist residency at Normanby Hall, Lincolnshire, in which the artist was invited to produce a series of artworks that would interpret the collection in new and exciting ways. The project was generously supported by North Lincolnshire Council and Arts Council England through the Humber Museums Partnership.
New artwork was commissioned in 2023 to include a wall collage installation.
