The Red Carpet

at East Sussex Open

Towner Gallery, Eastbourne/UK

3 April 2010 - 3 May 2010

 

... heaviness of being ...

 

Memories can be haunting. Anger is red. How vulnerable we once were, how small: such easy targets, casualties of domestic power games, still bearing the scars.

 

A rag rug heavy with memories: dusty red of old suffocating velvet curtains that once kept the sunshine out of the living room; faded red of old clothes with a faint whiff of mothballs, scratchy red of hand knitted jumpers, shrunken and rough, frayed shiny red ribbons that pulled hair back so tight that it hurt.

 

A red carpet, not of fame and glory, made from rags, not riches, painstakingly put together, from the remains of unfulfilled dreams. Soft skin and soul turned callous – those who lack power in the outside world can still triumph over those who are even smaller, sweeping them under the carpet of their own humiliation. Underneath the rug a dark hiding space is secret home of imaginary friends who listen, comfort and help plan escapes.