Bound and Gagged

These black and white photographs are based upon the torture, rape and murder of Fred and Rose Wests' victims that they bound and gagged for their own satisfaction to carry out sexual abuse. Within them I have taped my entire head using duct tape and straws to help me breathe. The experience was strange and unfamiliar as I had no control of what was happening or of what could go wrong due to the risks. My aim is to further experiment with this concept due to the discomfort and abuse that the victims suffered at the hands of Fred and Rose West.

 

'Bad Girls'

My interest in memory, focusing particularly on loss, enables me to explore sensitive and delicate subjects. Crime and murder have become a focal point within my practice, and I have become particularly interested in and curious about British female serial killers. Within each photograph I transform myself into Myra Hindley, Mary Bell, Rose West, Beverly Allitt and Maxine Carr. The series of photographs involves impersonating these infamous women creating the iconic and well known mug shot after the conviction of their horrific crimes. All of these women have been involved in, or committed, murder which has resulted in them taking the lives of vulnerable children. The element of innocence and youth of the victims can become a visual struggle at times due to the emotional and psychological involvement within the work. I aim to engage and confront the viewer through the challenging nature of the topic, and to subvert the stereotypical representation of femaleness in our society. 




 

Myra

 

 



Mary

 

 



 

Rose

 

 

 

 

 

Beverly

 

 

 

 

Maxine

EARLY WORKS

What lies beneath

Medium: Cast iron

Date: June 2012

 

This is a site-specific cast iron piece that was placed up at the Grove Colliery, specifically over the grove pit hole. The significance of the hole is crucial to the piece, the footprints of mine provide a sense of my journey as a little girl to an adult. The piece is able to provide the story of my relationship and my attitude towards the Ironworks, resulting in no change from childhood to adult life.

'What lies beneath' laid across Grove Pit

What lies beneath...

On location, Grove Colliery

Under a waterfall at the Grove Colliery