Influenced by my own personal superstitions around the Magpie, Just My Luck explores the duality of this bird as both an omen of anguish, and a symbol of good fortune. The start of this collection looks at misfortune, depicting the apprehension surrounding bad luck. Here, imagery extracted from nests look at cocooning structures, signify how superstition can consume us, whilst over-exaggerated talons emphasis how grief can latch onto us. As the collection progresses, an investigation into wing anatomy looks at wilder forms, expressing the freedom felt after battling through these hardships.
Keeping to the historic context of this folkloric narrative, traditional, hand-skill crafts are integral to my practice. Just like superstition, heritage craft risk becoming outdated, and so my work looks to revive these skills by combining them with contemporary tools and materials. Examples of Tin Smithing looks at the Magpie’s love of trinkets, creating hand-embossed aluminium embellishment. This is complimented by adornment constructed from basketry, using chair canning, depicting nesting habits.
Much like my feathered muse, I am a collector of inquisitive objects. Part of my practice looks at how materials can be repurposed to give them new life. Considering the sustainability concerns within textiles, aspects such as my basketry adornments have been naturally dyed using oak gall and iron; whilst deadstock, silks have been slashed and pleated to convey iridescent, multi-layered plumage.
