Art Party Conference

Last weekend I took part in the Art Party Conference by taking a stand. It was a fascinating day. My work was placed in the Grand Hall along with many other artist’s works next to the Summit; this was the centre point of the whole event and where everyone laid down their placards and portraits of the Secretary of State for Education, The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, after a banner waving beach parade. It was also where artist Bob and Roberta Smith began proceedings with his letter he wrote to Gove about changes in education.

My installation entitled ‘Angel in the House’ comprised of a vintage wardrobe with a cyanotype print of an antique wedding dress hanging inside. My idea arose from my interest in how women of a certain social class were treated in the Victorian era, especially on how they were predominantly confined to a life of domesticity and not allowed an academic art education. This led to a restriction on subject matter for many female artists living and working at this time, as they were not even able to join a life drawing class. As Bob stated in his letter to Gove “Art is now part of the language of freedom and democracy. Repressive, ideological regimes restrict Artists”.