Sanctuary and prison

In the first part of my research I consider the domestic duality of sanctuary and prison by piercing the net curtains with pins and needles in the tally marks prisoners use for counting time. This alludes to a prisoner marking time, but the misuse of feminine sewing equipment suggests a subversion of the domestic. It reflects the claustrophobia of living behind bars, however small and feminine they might be, and the longing for escape from the conventions of the day.

 

I linked the curtains to large photographs showing the curtain escaping from broken windows, reflecting the desire for escape but showing that the scars remain. Images of the pins and needles linked to thread reflect the idea of the seamstress being tied to the home, in its dual aspect of sanctuary and prison, and how even when these ties are broken, a binding thread remains.