My starting point for this project was to brainstorm words associated withmy childhood experiences and memories, growing up in a household with an alcoholic. These words attempt to interpret and make visual connections to my experience, such as ‘isolate’, ‘lost time/gaps in time’ ‘danger/safety’, ‘euphoria/depression’ and most prevalently ‘unravel’. Visualising these words has resulted from selecting objects that act as a metaphor or communicator for these feelings and experiences. I equally want to explore the use of objects associated with alcohol in the home, the destructive duplicity of the hidden bottles and empty glasses and cans to physically break these down /to pulverize these objects. This imagery is contrasted with personal comforts from my childhood, such as my teddy, and displayed on objects typically associated with childhood, to represent the jarring reality of seeing alcoholism through the eyes of a child. I used textile materials and processes for my final outcome to create a book and quilt/ wall hanging.
