Sarah-Joy Ford

Sarah-Joy is a maker of objects and encounters, working with textiles, embroidery, applique, felting and printed matter, often utilising domestic craft practices. This visual and material language of the work suggests real or imagined domestic spaces, inviting the audience to engage in intimate encounters with the objects. Furthermore, by situating traditional craft practices within the gallery context, the work also problematises still pervasive material hierarchies. These practices are labour intensive and repetitive: these actions function as a hidden performative element in my work. The objects constitute a negotiation of the contemporary condition, sourcing material from folk culture, the media and personal narratives. Drawing upon feminist and queer histories, my practice exists in the spaces between the persistent dichotomies of sexuality and gender. The current works represent a reading of contemporary constructions of femininity through the social conventions surrounding consumption. The ceremony and ritual of healthy eating has replaced the moral structures of religion, becoming increasingly pervasive and problematic.

 

http://sarahjoyford.com