Laura Davis

People and objects come and go through out our lives. The void that is left behind can be intolerable. Anxiety seeps in, darkness hovers, but something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye. A glimmer that becomes a safety net. A prop waiting for your memory to cloak it with the familiar.

All the objects that I have created are the result of a lengthy process, a metamorphosis. Either the complex intricacies that are required to transform paper and textiles into bronze. The selection, shaping and carving of wood. Layering form, colour and words screen printing. Pattern making, stitching and stuffing fabric. The collection of personal narratives and the academic research that provides the foundation of a concept, specifically the 'transitional object'.

The immeasurable qualities of the' ransitional object' are one of the most valuable concepts we have. The embedded amulet and talismanic powers, the ritualistic routine, the emotional dependency span childhood and adulthood. I am continuously intrigued by the ignition of life, that fuels inanimate objects into the mythical world of the 'real'.

I have created a collection of  objects that are one offs and multiples. Using several media paper, textiles, wood, bronze and print. Undecorated, unadorned they offer a blank canvas to the viewer in most cases. The underlying notion of the 'transitional object', amulet and talisman, allow the viewer to respond and treat the objects as a 'teddy bear' or a 'doll'.