MICHELLE WILSON ARTIST PORTFOLIO NOVEMBER 2017
Altar, 1996 Found objects, upholstered objects, and lead panels.
[detail] Diptych (from Altar, 1996) Wood panels, acrylic paints, fabric, upholstery tacks and hinges.
Chair with tiny heart, 1996 Found objects, cast sterling silver heart, photograph
[details] Chair with tiny heart, 1996 Found objects, cast sterling silver heart, photograph
Hair rope, 1996 Human hair, pulleys, red velvet
[detail] Hair rope, 1996 Human hair, pulleys, red velvet
Interfere, 1998 Polyester, polyurethane, sanitary waste bins, tissues, human hair
[details] Interfere, 1998 Polyester, polyurethane, sanitary waste bins, tissues, human hair
Untitled, 2000 Metal rings, silk cord, fabric
[details] Untitled, 2000 Metal rings, silk cord, fabric
Dirty/Pure, 2001 Rubber gloves, human hair, plaster, hose ties
[details] Dirty/Pure, 2001 Rubber gloves, human hair, plaster, hose ties
The Bachelorette, 2003 Rubber glove, human hair, metal hooks, netting, fish hook & lure
[details] The Bachelorette, 2003 Rubber glove, human hair, metal hooks, netting, fish hook & lure
Hairy baby, 2006 Hand-knit wool, human hair, metal, fabric
[details] Hairy Baby, 2006 Hand-knit wool, human hair, metal, fabric
Rorschach 1 & 2, 2008 Paper, tulle fabric, royal icing sugar, thread
[details] Rorschach 1 & 2, 2008 Paper, tulle fabric, royal icing sugar, thread
Butterfly, 2008 Paper, tulle fabric, royal icing sugar, thread
[details] Butterfly, 2008 Paper, tulle fabric, royal icing sugar, thread
Peekaboo Fingers, 2009 Metalic paper, pen & ink
[details] Peekaboo Fingers, 2009 Metalic paper, pen & ink
Nightmares, 2009 Felt, found mattress springs, fabric
[process] Nightmares, 2009 Projected scan of drawing, felt, chalk
[detail] Nightmares, 2009 Felt, found mattress springs, fabric
Open to your projections, 2010 Gelatine, hair, wool and photographs
[details] Open to your projections, 2010 Gelatine, hair, wool and photographs
Untitled, 2010 Paper, acrylic paints, wool, metal pins
[details] Untitled, 2010 Paper, acrylic paints, wool, metal pins
Ripped my knitting 1, 2010 Wool, acrylic, metal pins
[details] Ripped my knitting 2, 2010 Wool, acrylic, metal pins
Good Breast, Bad Breast, 2016 Ceramic, silicone
Psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, theorises that from our earliest experiences as breast-feeding babies we polarise our world into “good” and “bad”. As the “good breast, bad breast” theory1 goes, a baby experiences his/her mother as two different people – a good breast that nourishes and loves, and a bad breast that deprives and punishes. Klein argues that a baby separates these experiences and ideas of its mother in order to make his/her world tolerable. Because to see its mother as one person who is both loving and punishing is existentially unbearable (that the same mother can love you AND hurt you). This polarity keeps a baby feeling safe – that life has an order with good things in one place and bad things in another. [details] Good breast, Bad breast, 2016 Ceramic, silicone
According to the theory, as the baby grows, he/she realises that the mother who is nourishing and loving mother, is the same mother who does not always meet his/her needs. Klein argues this brings on a depressive episode, and a sense of mourning or loss2. The simplistic comfort found in a feeling that things are only black or white, or good or bad, is removed, and a complex, contradictory world is exposed, where things are varying shades of grey. 1
- Klein, M. (1932). The Psychoanalysis of Children, London, Hogarth Press. - Klein, M. (1952). Some theoretical conclusions regarding the emotional life of the infant. In J. Riviere (Ed.), Developments in psycho-analysis (198-236), London: Hogarth Press. 2
Eye contact is an important part of social and emotional connections between people. The quality of eye contact is proven to affect our brain chemistry1. For example, eye contact between two people who love each other stimulates oxytocin and brings a sense of deep bonding and connection. Eye contact in a scary or hostile situation can increase cortisol and adrenaline which trigger a fear / aggression responses. Either way, eye contact is a powerful factor in human relationship dynamics. Eye contact is also critical to how we perceive ourselves2. Receiving someone’s attention – making eye contact, being listened to, being touched, being spoken to, and eliciting a response from someone through your actions – are all part of “being seen”. When we are “seen” by someone who loves us - really noticed and regarded positively then this regard is reflected back to us and internalised as a belief that “someone loves me; I am a good person; I am worth being noticed”. Many psychoanalysts and developmental psychologists have written about the impact of “being seen” on the developing ego, the sense of self and the quality of attachment relationships3.
Do you see what I see?, 2017 Found antique mirror, wood, velvet, furniture tacks, Apple iPhone 3GS, medical hose, photographs
Our constant use of smartphones means that we spend less time “seeing� each other. Smartphones mediate the intensity of our real life relationships (by sharing the same time and space) whilst facilitating our connections with others. But at the dystopian end of the spectrum, smartphone use equals a perfect narcissistic relationship4. The smartphone becomes an object that we can spend time with or worship, and it will love us, listen to us, stave off loneliness, entertain us, is intelligent enough to not be boring, and will not ask for anything in return (except a daily recharge). Best of all, it will not complain or feel anything when we exchange it for a newer model. Like any technology, smartphones are not intrinsically bad or good they are simply tools, or mirrors of their users.
[details] Do you see what I see?, 2017 Found antique mirror, wood, velvet, furniture tacks, Apple iPhone 3GS, medical hose, photographs
1
Schore, A. N. (2000). Attachment and the regulation of the right brain. Attachment & Human Development, 2(1), 23-47. Conty, L., George, N. and Hietanen, J.K. (2015). Watching Eyes effects: When others meet the self. Consciousness and Cognition, 45, pp.184-197, ISSN: 1053-8100. 2 Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base. Routledge. 3 Stern, D.N. (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. Karnac. 4 Winnicott, D.W. (1971). Playing and Reality. Psychology Press. Pearson, C. and Hussain, Z. (2015). Smartphone Use, Addiction, Narcissism, and Personality: A Mixed Methods Investigation.
No Man Is An Island No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were. as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne, 1624
The bell tolls for us all, 2017 Ceramic, found screwdrivers, felt
When Montse proposed this year’s project “Toquem campanes” ("We Ring Bells"), I thought of Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and the poem No Man Is An Island by John Donne, from which Hemingway borrowed his title. The poem describes our interdependence as people, our need for each other, none of us can survive alone – as an island – we are part of a greater community, part of a species, part of an eco-system. The poem states: “any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” Thus, when one of us dies – a part of us dies too.
We have to consciously work to understand differences and tolerate the intense feelings and reactions we have to “otherness”. If we allow ourselves to think about and reflect on the moments in which we experience “otherness” – that which is not “me / I / self ” then we move away from our primitive fearful reactions of “you / thou / him / her / it / that” towards a greater compassion in our humanity.
This may seem like a simple idea and a philosophy that is easy to embrace, but in our everyday reality it is a challenge. As humans we are instinctively tribal and group ourselves with people who are similar to us, think like us, behave, dress and speak like us. We choose which differences in other people are acceptable and which are not. The primitive part of ourselves drives us to fear difference or fetishise it – that which is “not me”, “not of the self ”, “other”, “alien”, “exotic”. [details] The bell tolls for us all, 2017 Ceramic, found screwdrivers, felt
MICHELLE WILSON Biography Michelle Wilson is a mixed media artist and an art psychotherapist. Michelle's artwork is informed by social issues, psychodynamic She is a member of the British Association of Art Therapists and theories, corporeal processes and the interplay between dreams and registered with the Health & Care Professions Council, in the UK. reality; her work is both conceptual and visceral. Her key influences are Louis Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Antoni Tapies, Joseph Beuys, Mona She has worked as a studio assistant, a teaching assistant, an art Hatoum, Cathy de Monchaux, Martin Creed, and Cy Twombly. therapist, a social worker, and an advocate for children and young people. Michelle's professional interests are in early intervention Michelle believes that the process of making art, and looking at / mental health services and the use of arts in health. Michelle now experiencing art are vital for good mental health, self-awareness, runs a wellness retreat centre in Catalonia and makes art. and raising social consciousness.
Education
Publications
1996 - BA Studio Art, University of Vermont, USA 2003 - Certificate in Psychotherapy, Regent's College, London 2004 - MSc Social Policy, London School of Economics 2010 - MA Art Psychotherapy, Goldsmiths College, London
MA Dissertation (2010) - Thinking Beneath the Surface: Art
Grants & Awards
1996 - Ian Crawford Memorial Scholarship
Therapy with a woman with a learning disability
Exhibitions
2009 - Goldsmiths' College 2010 - Goldsmiths' College 2016 - Artistes Cel Oberts, "Va de Bols" 2017 - Artistes Cel Oberts, "Toquem Campanes" 2017 - Empordoneses, "Smartphones"
MICHELLE WILSON michelle_wilson@mac.com La Bruguera de Púbol Púbol, La Pera Girona 17120 Catalonia, Spain +34 638 118 569