Arts Thread

Influenced by growing up on the coast and its comfort, ‘My Mother the Sea’ is a narrative-based collection created using hand-crafted texture with sculpture. It portrays a woman escaping life’s pressures, finding solace in a small coastal town where each rock-pool contains a whole ocean of life. This concept was developed following a tempestuous storm in my own life, much like the North Sea my mind was relentless, wave upon wave of anxiety crashing upon my shores and the bleak, cold waters pulling me under. As the fog began to clear and I was finally able to keep myself afloat, my first venture outside in over 8 months lead me to St Mary’s Lighthouse and I was able to escape into the memories of my childhood and the stories I would dream up as I watched the sun dancing on the waves. Salt air dances around your hair, coiling and curling with a life of its own. Waves are crashing against the rocks, breaking against the wall of the promenade. You bring a shell up to your ear and the sound of you laughing and squealing in delight as a child plays out. In the distance, Mum is telling your brother off- he’s been chasing you around with seaweed, its tendrils rippling in the wind, threatening to cling to your body and mould and to you like a second skin. She’s not really mad though, amusement is clear in her tone and Dad is hiding his smile behind his hand as you flail around like a banshee. There’s sand crunching underfoot and you know you’ll find it everywhere for weeks to come, a constant reminder of memories past and present and the thought of those still to come. Despite the grey of the Northern Sea the rare sunlight catches each rise and fall of the tide, a glistening gem luring you closer. It calls to you, tugging at your chest, pulling you in. You're home.