Getting started...

We had our first group crit today at uni so thought I should just try and some up some of the points raised and think about where this project can really get started.

Thinking about my questions in my last post I have decided to start a small piece of research at uni, friends on Facebook, email and my new local 'Bromley Heath WI'

What happens when we break something? How do we feel? Do we need to repair or recycle the broken pieces? Or are we pleased that it is gone?

Whilst I wait for the comments to start coming in I have been around my house taking photos of all the things that have been broken by my family. For example

Broken flush

broken architrave

Hole in the stair carpet

Wall bashed by door handle

My leaky new tap !!!!

How do I feel - cross that I have so many things to fix made worse because some of these repair jobs are out of my remit and even they weren't, I have very little time to try and make the necessary repairs.

These are some basic items from the home and does not include the sentimental items such as my flower vase that the boys bought for me on the first mothers day after Carl died; the bedroom lamp hat was part of a well loved pair: and a large collection of plates and glasses that were sat on the breakfast bar waiting to go away - one powerful football sent flying into the kitchen on the foot of a fourteen year old. On each occasion I felt really cross, overly so which I am reminded of by my son. My responses have probably caused more harm and been more memorable than what was actually broke.  So why such powerful feelings? To help explore of these questions I decided to start by making some free machine embroidered drawings on calico - the breakages that are real at the moment and not just a pile of pieces long since lost in the bin. As the breakages transferred into stitch I realised that this was going to be yet another exploration of what makes me me? What makes me produce work in order to try and understand elements of human emotion - and to be honest, it may just be a parody for what has happened to my family - repairing our damaged lives after loss - through the exploration of human emotions when material things become broken. 

Broken Architrave

Our Dripping Tap