Sarah Wilson
Fine Art
Sarah Wilson (b.1999) is a sculptor and textile artist, working predominantly in unfired clay to depict the navigation of grief and adolescence, amongst ideas of body, familial relationships and the self.
Final year project
The Process of Grief
Death bed tracings (1 of 6)
1 of 6 tracings depicting images of my mother on her death bed. These tracings are large in size, exploring the expression and contours of death. The scale of these tracings forces the viewer to be faced with a face of death, with nothing else present to withdraw from the harrowing reality of the end of life.
Uncomfortable comfort (2018-2019)
One of the embroidered photo-transfer badges was sewn onto my old baby blanket. The photo depicts me and my mother sleeping together in my parent's bed. It is an image that without context is a sweet loving moment, but with 'I'm so sad mummy' embroidered over it, alludes to sorrow and grief.
I hate you and I hate me (2021)
This image is a still from a video performance, where I created a raw clay life-size copy of my body. I then filmed myself aggressively attacking this form with my real body, punching, stamping and pulling at the clay. These brutal strikes flattened the form to an unrecognisable slab, covered in deep marks created by my force, harshly portraying the frustration and self-hatred experienced through the loss of self.
Plates for 3 (2020)
A close up of a carving on one of the 3 raw clay plates. While the cracking wasn't deliberate, it was an unintentional breakthrough to my future exploration of cracking and what this can emote. The craving depicts that of an old school photo of my mother, out of frame, there are several other carvings.
Bed Model 1 (2021)
A small wooden and fabric copy of my parent's bed from when I was a child. I hand crafted the accompanying bed linen, mattress and pillows from old bed sheets.
Dead Mother (2021-2022)
Dead Mother is a realistic bust of my deceased mother, using reference images from her death bed to create an uncanny resemblance of her form. Her slouched back position and open mouth subtly allude to death, but not enough that the viewer can't imagine her taking a breath between stares. The bust consists of solid raw clay, with harsh finger/hand marks adding a sense of frustration and angered grief.
Comfort (2019)
Early experimentation with 'soft' textiles (wool) and 'hard' materials (clay), explored the possibilities of wearable comfort, mimicking that of human touch. The wool shall wrap around the body, while you hold on to the cold ceramic hands. Almost Human, but not quite.
Body, 2018
Depicted is my first exemption to a life-size human body, completed during my foundation year at Loughborough University (2017-2018). While I have greatly developed my use of clay and understanding of the human form, you can see the first glimpses of experimentation with fragmented bodies and expression through clay mark making.
Sarah Wilson
Final year project
The Process of Grief