Laura Jackson
As an artist I am concerned with those things that affect our perceptions of what we consider ‘normal’ and/or ‘unusual’ in everyday life; aspects which might unnerve the viewer, challenging their response and reaction to a piece of work.
The definition of ‘Uncanny’ is something “characterised by apparently supernatural wonder and horror” with thesaurus entries listed as “weird, creepy, strange, mysterious” and yet also categorised as “astonishing, exceptional, fantastic, miraculous”. I began thinking about these descriptions further; how can something be repulsive and frightening and yet in the same sentence be magnificent and exciting? Could art be the perfect way to express such contradictions?
My work aims to evoke this ‘Uncanny’ sense in the onlooker; confusing them by manipulating space and the size of familiar objects in unfamiliar situations. This makes the work by definition, ‘Uncanny’.
