Mutter Matter: Murmurings from the Kitchen Table - part of HOUSE Festival

About

This collaboration has taken artists Jane Fox and Irene Mensah on a journey of parallel personal evocations as they explore the significance of their grand- maternal presence. The impetus for this work is two domestic books inherited from their Grandmother's kitchens. The artists combine fascination with the formality and obedience required to fulfill a predetermined notion of ‘how things are done' from a previous era. This has provoked a domestic fuelled duet of artistic responses, which collide and separate at will. The artists walk a path between common sense and impulse to take a sideways look at perfection. The artists Grandmothers came from a generation that shared values of a sensible, hard working ethic and economic practicality, which fashioned their approach to life. Imagine their surprise at their granddaughters' deviations from the accepted etiquette of table manners and outrageous misuse of the flour, lard and other ingredients in the pursuit of an artistic work. And yet in their exploration of the pursuit of perfection, puddings and private solace, the artists have unconsciously respected important rules from ‘Observances of the dinner table'. Irene Mensah and Jane Fox have both inherited certain old fashioned values. This presence interweaves with their personal contemporary values throughout the process of creating a site-specific experience. From the majestic table landscape, to orchestrating new and hybrid versions of extracts from their two texts, the artists carve a fascinating domestic arena to baffle, engage, amuse and touch its audience.