Marina Nimmo : Artist Statement 2017

Temporary, precarious installations are constructed predominately from every day objects and household detritus allowing visual clues of the familiar to be conjured up before de-stabilising the viewer into situations that are not what they first appear. Methods of support shift to constraints and the repetitive use of objects builds a sense of overload and chaos that allude to unsustainable environments. A recurrent playful use of clay within the projects hints to the domestic use of ceramic ware within the home, but within the installations the laboriously fabricated objects are ultimately dysfunctional.

Rooted within the historical discussions surrounding invisible domestic labour, questioning how far we may or may not have progressed within the last 50 years, today, labour is still defined and valued outside of the home within the paid workplace. The social and economic pressures in the early months and years of parenting to ‘get back’ to work are detrimental to the idea of achieving a balanced life. I’m interested in observing the types of labour we still under value in today’s society, the mundane routines that feed directly into our capitalist system, the same system that in turn is failing most of society. A system that seems to increasingly demand super human expectations to cover all bases at home and at work, ultimately leading to exhaustion, dysfunction and impending collapse.

Projects begin with a fresh obsession over a specific object that withholds multiple meanings; a buoy that could be a life saving aid or a wrecking ball, a child safety gate - a protective barrier or a frustrating constraint, an eggcup – an object to hold sustenance or a vessel to suggest the endless cycle of cooking. By analysing the detritus left behind from these repetitive routines of hyper productivity of consumerism, parenting and domestic activities helps pay attention to the precariousness and absurd chaos existing within our social environments, the fragility of these internal and external environments, our relationships, life and loss.