Claire Davidge

Imagination is the vital ingredient for the starting point of my work. My main interests stem from childhood indulgences, fantasy, fiction, narrative and play psychology.

My aim is to create fantastical worlds, playful and experimental spaces that invite the viewer to come inside and interact with the work. Through making an infestation of play objects multiplying, I want their existence to become overwhelming, to create a space that is chaotic and overbearing.I would like the viewer to realize when entering my installations that the space is fun but that it can also have sinister and frightening overtones.

My work derives from photographing or scanning tiny objects like sweets or making miniature installation sets. I mainly use the sweet confectionary because it is instantly identified as a child’s object that brings enjoyment but through over indulgence can also cause decay.

Although there is no concrete design to my work, the photographs and tiny sets help me to structure a possible outcome but leave open an area for material experimentation in the process of making. Using homemade craft techniques, I have enlarged these objects to a ludicrous and absurd size experimenting with various materials including latex, fluff, wool tops, fur and fabric, with the majority of these materials resembling those of cuddly toys or fictional characters. Although through pouring physical substances like latex and paint onto the objects spontaneously, the work becomes almost life-like and personifies the objects into supernatural or sexual forms. Recently I have started to incorporate jelly into my work, to make some objects slightly sticky and to give the environment a sweet smell in order to invigorate child-like senses.

Inside the space I like to juxtapose sounds narration with the objects, the sound narration is exploring the language that we unconsciously associate with play toys.