Artists statement.

I sent Trevor a cv and an artists statement. I was guessing he would come looking for them soon:

CHRISTINE TURNER - ARTISTS STATEMENT

SUBURBAN GODDESS

It has been said that the big question for a person in their middle years is a spiritual one. In my quest to find gods and goddesses, I have only come across one and that is Mother. My own, living Mother.

She is my 'Suburban Goddess'…a goddess that reigned in the fifties and sixties- presiding within a ‘Traditional’ family model that actualised what has been called by some a 'Golden Age' and by others an 'abberation'.This was a paradigm that could not sustain itself, but one that still causes today a degree of uncertainty and sense of loss in current familial relationships. The family of today takes many forms and consequently the role of Mother changes to meet contemporary needs.

I incorporate and assemble the chattels of the ‘Suburban Goddess’. These are the objects society is currently discarding, and with them go aspects of her values and standards.

As well as paying tribute to my own Mother, these works open up a dialogue relating to the ever-changing role of women in society.

My sculptures often take the form of the ‘Totem Pole’. It has been said that a totem pole is like a poem - Many things are said with only a few words. A stacking of biscuit tins or other domestic objects can be an artwork in its own right and can also preserve social and cultural histories for generations to come.

A biscuit tin can be a reliquary for memories.