‘Men have a simple remedy for this state of things. They can alter their way of life.’ [1]
Through Studio four I have maintained a research informed art practice, creating research-based installations exploring folklore and witchcraft in a contemporary setting. The idea that women’s loss of power can be traced back to the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries is extremely thought provoking for me. My artwork is used to reclaim the power that had previously been stripped from women and queer people, acknowledging themes such as gender norms, contemporary practices of witchcraft and the concept of aging.
While visiting the Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling and Witchcraft in Edinburgh, I was introduced to the concept of a Spirit House, something that has inspired my practice throughout this semester. Used by contemporary witches, as well as in Thai culture, a Spirit House is used as a ‘space for the living to honour the spirits that own the land that their homes…are built upon.’ [2] These small house shaped objects are placed outside of a witches home to act as a ‘halfway house’ between the magical practitioner and their familiar spirits. This concept inspired me to combine my research on the witch trials of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with traditional ideas of the woman and the home, and the challenges that one faces with growing up with these expectations. Using my artwork as a place to leave the negative connotations of these concepts and reclaim the imagery as something empowering.
I am really intrigued by artists that play with ideas of reality. Lucy Mckenzie creates large scale works using the trompe l’oeil technique.[3] Her use of curation and display is also very interesting, using fake walls in pieces such as On The Prowl (2021-22) causes the viewer to question if it is reality or fantasy. Although, in a material sense our practices differ, her use of world building and ability to completely encapsulate the viewer in her work is really engaging to me. My work aims to question what is and isn’t real, disrupting the viewers sense of actuality and existence.
While researching witchcraft, I have focused on scholarship on the persecution of witches in Scotland (where I was born). Drawing from more local stories make the works more personal to me and give me a deeper connection to the stories I am trying to tell. I am intrigued by the simple, day to day things that 16th century women would have done that could have had them tried for witchcraft; ‘women could be malicious, and they gossip. They must be up to something.’[4] My work aims to explore how the fear of women’s agency has been embedded within social structures and continues to be relevant today.
My work takes a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together a wide range of techniques and materials to create larger scale installations. This semester I have explored model making, film, print making, installation, and ink painting. The materials used within my practice reflect the practice of witchcraft; using materials that come from natural sources or reusing materials which would have otherwise been disposed of.
Film has continued to be a core element of my practice. My work has been informed by avant garde films from artists such as Mya Deren and Mary Reid Kelley, both of whom explore ideas of world building and strange, uncomfortable imagery. The power of the silent film is very intriguing for me, allowing me to express complex ideas purely through imagery.
My final piece of Semester One, Spirit Bedroom, functions as an immersive domestic space, exploring the idea that the home can be a place of oppression, rather than a place of comfort. The work acknowledges the aesthetics of the home on the surface and combats any negativities that go along with it. (read more here)
[1]Dworkin, Andrea. 1981. Pornography: Men Possessing Women. London The Women’s Press. P xl
[2]the. 2020. “Living Big Travel.” Living Big Travel. November 16, 2020. https://www.livingbigtravel.com/living-big-travel/thailand-spirit-houses.
[3] lnr-redakeur. 2025. “Les Nouveaux Riches Magazine – Interview with Lucy McKenzie.” Les Nouveaux Riches Magazine. August 2, 2025. https://www.les-nouveaux-riches.com/interview-with-lucy-mckenzie/.
[4]Mitchell, Claire, and Zoe Venditozzi. 2025. HOW TO KILL A WITCH. Hachette UK. P 86