Do You Think I’m Spooky?
This facsimile of a being I created for myself is crumbling in my hands.
But “they” weren’t created for me, were they?
This “me” was constructed from offcuts,
From years of slights and never quite understanding where it all went wrong.
An armoury specially designed for the world, by the world.
I am a wicked pile of scraps, shambling through the streets,
Collecting garbage to press deep into willing flesh.
Never quite settled, ready for the other shoe.
Never letting go, a tightly wound fist.
Every piece is a story.
But what’s a story without a lesson?
And what’s a lesson if it is never learnt?
Horror is a genre that I have felt an inexplicable pull towards for some time. It has become a lens through which I analyse the world around me, and now my artistic practice. My practice has been dedicated to investigating my personal experiences that I find difficult to communicate through written language, the visual language of horror has become a voice through which I can interrogate and express these experiences. This project has developed in order to better understand my personal connections with horror media as a neuroqueer (neurodivergent and queer) person. The concept of analysing horror tropes and ‘neuroqueering’ them lies at the heart of this research project.
Additionally, through this project I am exploring the innate neuroqueer qualities of print as a factor in my research methodology. Print requires you to become attuned to the fine details of your materials and techniques throughout the entire process, and as a neurodivergent artist, I feel intimately connected with the making processes in a way that I have been unable to find in other mediums. My research has developed to encompass my innate way of working and unlearn my internalised neuronormativity through the intersection between a sensory-focussed printmaking practice and the visual language of the horror film.
