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Brittany Baldwin Artist Statement, 2021:

Materiality and memory have a large presence in my practice. The materiality of the work is linked to the process; handling materials such as beeswax and feathers can evoke a meditative state. Requiring a stillness and intentionality, the smell and warmth of beeswax- its changeable nature, the softness and lightness of feathers (working with them you almost forget they are there) and their elemental qualities instill an instinctual appreciation for nature when I engage with them. I work with the inherent structural form of the feathers, intuitive to the manipulation of forms, and engage within pre-existing structures inherently found in the materials. The delicate and changeable nature of feathers and beeswax leads to a heightened awareness of the material.

Memory can be malleable, fuzzy or distorted, creating a space in between reality and the ever changing nature of our thoughts and imagination. I’m compelled to investigate the connective potential of memory and enquiry of the natural world. I have drawn from my own memory, family photos, and the history of aviation in my family; I make intentional connections such as my love of the natural world and my memory of my father (a pilot), and bind them together through the concept of biomimicry in the structure of an airplane. 

I’ve recently become interested in exploring muddled memory following my seizure last year or as the doctor put it “an electrical storm in the brain.” The strange and distorted world that I found myself in after the seizure is difficult to describe, but I would like to emulate the effect through my work. The materiality of feathers lends itself well to the soft, blurred effect of scattered memory, or familiarity.

 Silence can have an echo of spirituality.  I hope to generate a sense of stillness and quiet in the work when I enter into these meditative processes. The materials I engage with have their own rich histories from which I explore memory, both my own personal memory and that of the wider currents of the world. I hope to create a space of reflection and quiet for the viewer.