Borders are for Crossing – Artist Research: Tracey Emin.
After looking at the bed as an object, I was inspired to look at “Bed” 1998 by Tracey Emin as its a different take on showing the intimacy of your personal space and the use of bed. The “Bed” was a result of her breakdown when she spend four days in bed in an unconscious like state. This form of assemblage work is the breakdown of her life, the bed is also a breathing living thing that is folding, turning and has a sense of movement to it. The breakdown in her life was caused by a breakup. That led to her body existing in this space and then her body going through the movements of leaving the bed, where she focused on the decay and chaos that was left behind and moved to to a gallery space. The relationship between her body and movement in this space doesn’t make this piece just art to view but rather an experience that causes a reaction or variety of feelings in the audience. The bender that created this mess also highlights the decay of life, allowing the audience to look through all the items almost like its evidence of what once was, a crime scene of her worst moment. This way of being vulnerable that doesn’t sugar coat anything and also tells a story that makes you consider all the unseen events that led to this finished mess.
Tracey Emin works in a confessional way, dabbling in creating a persona that is authentic in portraying the dark and chaotic parts of her life. By doing this she is also rebelling against society expectations of women during hard times, building an honest narrative about topics like depression and heartbreak. This installation is a painfully truthful self-portrait that shows the different stages of heart break that merged together during this depressive isolation. Now, years after the first showing of this piece it takes on new meanings like being a time capsule into her life and looking at rebirth, change and death of old comforts. Her work offers a feminine take on darker topics and brings to the forefront the anxieties women face in their lives.
This piece was hugely influential as it addresses the vulnerability that I find striking, alongside the intimate view of the bed that inspires feelings in the audience. This way of looking into a snapshot of someone else’s time of hardship is also something I want to explore within my own work through how I document the bed or researching how homelessness plays a role within my project.
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