Queen Mab Hath Been with You

Queen Mab Hath Been with You
Collaboration with Darren Pottie

Birth: Hand woven silk, wire
Death: Silk dyed with weak acid dyes, wire
Transformation: Silk dyed with weak acid dyes, wire
2013

Dreams are moments of unrestrained creativity gleaned from personal experiences. My textiles work in ‘Oh, I See Queen Mab Hath Been With You” aims to represent the nature of my inspiration, rather than a visual depiction of specific imagery. In this case, the inspiration was from an unusual dream I experienced. The Mood is eerie and unsettling, with the transformation from an inhuman creature to a corrupted infant who is seemingly typical on the outside, but with its secret corruption still hiding inside. By creating an emotional response in a viewer through the depiction of the atmosphere of the dream, it allows them to understand the work in a way beyond appreciating craftsmanship or surface designs.

The colours of the garments shift from white to a deep red. White is commonly associated with innocence, and in this case that remains. Accompanying this are wire forms that eventually transition from uncomfortable claws and legs to a constricting garment. The wire interrupts the white silk to show the breakdown of innocence, with the red appearing as the spiders become more human. Humans are one of the only creatures that create their clothing, so garments are linked with humanity for me. The wire then becomes a garment to show the shift from monster to human, but also a reminder to the viewer of what once was.