Bonnet-Bombing
The
aim of the piece is to highlight issues that women artists face or indeed any
women with personal ambition.
We are both women who paint
and make art. However, in order to do so we use our spare time or ‘grab’ time
and paint. There are so many other jobs to do at home or at work that the act
of painting becomes a clandestine activity.
Making
art alone often feels like a ‘guilty pleasure’.
Proposal
The
idea (which is in its infancy) is to create a series of painting actions or –
‘Performance Bombings’. We would be dressed as normal and be carrying
trollies/or cases. In the chosen public area we would make our own space, open
our cases, cordon off the area and put our aprons and bonnets on, take out our painting
equipment and paint for ten/fifteen minutes. We wouldn’t engage with the
audience during the performance, the piece would feel a little like a
historical re-enactment similar to the type provided in museums.
Importance
This
piece is important to us, as it will address the position of working women,
mothers and artists. We would like to analyse the position of women with
children in the work place and art world.
For
some reason, yet to be explored in more detail, we have been inspired by
traditional dress of the ‘Amish’ (particularly the bonnets) and the restrictive
rituals of such sects or religions. To paint in such conservative attire is an
appealing concept and perhaps symbolises and poses questions regarding the
subjugation of women. We quite like the concept of ritualising the act of
painting as an act of subversion.
Some
also see painting as an archaic practice; this also raises discussion in terms
of the history of painting and its place in society today.
Currently,
we are considering ‘actions’ in the workplace/schools/public spaces such as
libraries/galleries as well as specific art performance spaces.
