In their daily movements; slicing, simmering and sharing, the hands of women create an ancient magic. My final year project highlights the undervalued practice of domestic cooking.
I was inspired by Faith Ringgold and Judy Chicago's feminist appropriation of craftwork. All my pieces are handmade, linking them to craft traditions associated with women as well as "the habit of hands”, the embodied cooking knowledge women have cultivated and passed on for generations. My mark is always visible in my work to emphasise this link, be that in my hand-built ceramics, my hand-drawn tiles, the smudges in my oil pastel animations or in the embroidery of my textile work. My project critiques the hierarchy which places traditionally masculine haute-cuisine above the “women’s work” of domestic cooking. Overall, my work aims to illustrate the magic of work created by the repeated movements of the hands of women.
