Gorse Crown
this work was made during a short stay at spudWORKS, Sway, during a period of working with Janetka Platun for her LGBTQIA+ residency with SPUD and running workshops for Breakout Youth in New Milton & Totton. [2023]
Gorse Crown - a crown made of burnt and weathered gorse, gathered from the heath in Sway, and lashed together with linen yarn, then painted yellow
Self portraits - taken on the heath in Sway, New Forest
drawing from Janetka’s work with Gorse, exploring the ‘sharp points’ and ‘thorny issues’ of being queer in the New Forest, and the significance and symbolism of the colour yellow - representing sunlight in the Pride flag; a colour of creativity ‘stimulating new ideas and ways of thinking’ - i integrated these starting points with my interests in folklore, myth, craft and transformation.
the Gorse Crown explores New Forest folklore of pixies who were said to inhabit bogs, shapeshifting into different forms such as Ponies, and luring unsuspecting folk into the bogs. it casts eerie shadows when worn, transforming the wearer and instilling them with creative energy.
Shadow Self Portraits - charcoal drawings of refracted shadows of the Gorse Crown