LAURA GRISARD

Boglands. An ominous place of death, decay, rebirth and regrowth, a landscape where layers of time are embedded. A portal for time travelling. A benevolent custodian of history, collecting and preserving.

A wisewoman, a seer, walked these lands in a different time, reflected and mirrored in the making of this work by wandering the land and collaging the film together. The female figure was immersed, memorialised forever in another time, and now I am too. I am not aware, but the bog knows, the landscape knows its history, but I do not. She is there and part of the land. I am mirroring and repeating history by just living on it, and maybe one day I will be part of it. A cycle of growth and evolution.

Under the peat’s skin lie things beyond our threshold of perception. When we peel back the layers, we release things that were buried deep in the ground Both our past and present are disturbed. What lies beneath the surface, under the skin, the skin of the bog?

Boglands

The forms I create consume the space and occupy the mind. Throughout the year I have used materials such as carpets, fur, pineapple skin and bubble wrap to visualise concepts about hair, skin and self.

Through my current artwork I am exploring identity by recognising and challenging societal norms regarding conformity. The themes in my artwork deal with concerns that are personal to me: I use the artwork to contemplate and resolve these issues. I enjoy using everyday materials as a starting point then extending the idea with a level of play.

I am interested in the way materials communicate together sculpturally to create an uncanny presence.