‘Exploration of my Obsessions’ – Joanna Tidey Brentwood Road Gallery September 8th 2011
(photographs courtesy of Richard Packer)
Behind the scenes and the environment which I live/work. For a lot of my work the viewer only ever see finished pieces- work where I have insects mounted could be seen as very Victorian taxidermy, bought in already relaxed- however do not realise that this all spins off of an obsession that only those let into my live/ work space get to see.
From a body of work that’s methodology was in repetition, fragility, suspension and falling, not only provided me with escapism with it’s meditative qualities, but I created installations that in turn created hide always for myself, cocoon like spaces where I was able to retreat to. As a silk worm spins its cocoon, in doing this, I was able to banish anxieties and stresses.
From this enticed nature such as spiders into my work, where an interest in the way we inhabit space and how the environments we exist in effect that of nature came to the forefront. We co-exist within a space, insects get accidentally contained, struggle to get free and those not lucky enough to escape collect within our man made environments.
In recreating my living/work space gives my work context. This allows the viewer to get an insight into the research and background of my work- something I have not been able to do before.
Joanna Rose Tidey 