It felt like serendipity to come across Beverly Ayling Smith’s work at UCA Farnham when I went for my MFA interview. I was surprised I hadn’t come across her before given the subject matter of my project work to date. While her focus is more on mourning and grief it is inspiring to see how she has looked at the materials and symbolism of loss and death.
She appears to be looking at a liminal state of mourning between the intensity of melancholia and the situation of mourning having been resolved, and how these emotions can be evoked by events, sounds, smells or objects.
The project investigates how cloth can be used in textile artwork to make a connection with any unresolved mourning and thereby contribute to the progression of what Sigmund Freud described as the viewer’s ‘work of mourning.’ (Ayling Smith, The Language of Grief: Cloth as a Metaphor for Loss)
Perhaps not surprisingly I am really drawn to this work, not because it explores issues of materiality in relation to mourning, but because it is a body of work created out of research practice. She seems to delicately navigate the interaction between her creative practice and her academic research. I note that once again I am drawn to work that integrates cloth and suspect this may be something I should explore more in my own work.
This exhibition lays out textile works of power and sensitivity, generated as a response to, and in solace for, the process of morning. (Dr. Victoria Kelly, exhibition catalogue)
I think this relates to my work in that I have also picked up on metaphors and the materiality of death and the digital. While I am less concerned with the emotional context of death I am inspired by Beverly’s working process and find her work very evocative.
I suspect this is work I will return to as my own project evolves. I also hope to contact Beverly and see if I can talk to her more about her work.
BA-S dust of memory from Beverly Ayling-Smith on Vimeo.