Central to my practice is the act of confession, something which is driven by my desire to foster an emotional connection with those who view my work. Often originating from poetry I have written, my work serves as a vehicle for the revelation of my private thoughts, feelings, and emotions to others. Permeating most of my practice is a motif of neurodivergence, in particular Autism and ADHD, with my most recent pieces exploring the concept of masking. In this context, masking refers to the act of suppressing one’s neurodivergent traits in order to reduce social rejection. Inversely, unmasking refers to the unlearning of such behaviours, often in attempt to prioritise one’s physical and mental health.

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The End of You and the Beginning of Me is a durational performance film which lasts 4 minutes and 3 seconds. Depicted within the film is a physical exertion achieved through the extension of my arm which is holding a white ceramic mask. Unedited, the film serves as a representation for the energy consumption, and potential consequences of masking behaviours. The title of this piece is derived from the concept of being unable to separate the masked and unmasked version of oneself.

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Guiding my artistic decisions are concepts rather than final outcomes, something which I look for in others’ works. Since, often this allows for a deeper understanding of both the artwork and the artist. Sparking my interest in performance film was Jimmie Durham’s Smashing (2004)[1]. Dressed in a suit, Durham systematically destroys various objects offered to him at a desk. Durham’s film is seen to critique of the existence of bureaucratic systems and the misuse of power within higher authorities. Albeit being conceptually different to my work, Smashing revealed the processes and tangibility I could adopt to develop my concept further. Having already experimented with ceramics; I wanted to expand my practice into a different hard, breakable material. In attempt to move away from literality, and place focus on the action of unmasking rather than the focus being on the suspense of the film, I began working with concrete.

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Beneath the Layers, is a performance film which combines poetry, audio, and sculpture and is 5 minutes and 47 seconds. As an extension of The End of You and the Beginning of Me, this film is a metaphor for the process of unmasking. The film captures the destruction of an unevenly textured concrete sphere by way of hammer and chisel. The concrete sphere embodies a masked identity of a neurodivergent individual, with its impermeable layers forming an archive for the time such individuals spend on suppressing their natural behaviours to avoid social ostracisation. The film ends before the layers of concrete are stripped back enough to reveal what is underneath, meaning the answer to such a question is placed within the hands of its viewer.

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The shape and form of my sculpture for Beneath the Layers was directly influenced by The Tomb of James Lee Byars (1986)[2] and Untitled: Double Act (2010)[3]. Additionally, my sculpture’s texture was drawn from the overlapping layers within Lynda Benglis’ Boundaries (2010-2011). Whilst Benglis seeks the appearance of smoothness and fluidity within her latex sculptures, my work takes advantage and exaggerates the rigidity of its medium. Unpolished, and abrasive, the materiality of my sculpture echoes that of its concept. As despite putting in effort to hide certain traits (which would in theory lead to social exclusion), neurodivergent individuals continue to be alienated[4] by others regardless of their ability to mask.

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Remaining anonymous within my performances allows me to disassociate my identity from my work and allow viewers to engage and resonate with its concept readily. As although my art derives from my personal experiences and thoughts, I reject the notion that they are exclusive to me. Even though my concepts may hold true for specific groups of which I am a part of, when creating my work I actively consider its accessibility for the wider community.

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Lastly, of mention for their additional influence over the experimentation and development of my work are My Love is an Anchor[5] and Gum Souls[6].

 

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References:

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[1] “Jimmie Durham - Smashing (2004)”. n.d. Www.youtube.com. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dFd5iNBj_c.

 

[2] James Lee Byars. (2019). Museoreinasofia.es. https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/james-lee-byars

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[3] Phyllida Barlow - unscripted. (n.d.). Hauser & Wirth. https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/phyllida-barlow/

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[4] Sasson, N. J., Faso, D. J., Nugent, J., Lovell, S., Kennedy, D. P., & Grossman, R. B. (2017). Neurotypical Peers Are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism Based on Thin Slice Judgments. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40700

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[5] GILMORE, K. (2018). KATE GILMORE. KATE GILMORE. https://www.kategilmore.com/#/my-love-is-an-anchor-2004/

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[6] HOLLY HENDRY. (2025). Hollyhendry.com. https://hollyhendry.com/work/gumsouls

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