The ‘Twenty’ project (2017-18) serves as a reflection upon the artist’s long term relationship with her partner in the light of his treatment for heart failure. ‘Syncopation’ (2017) is based on the poem, ‘Home: A Structure on Trial’ by Polish poet, Rafał Gawin. It was originally commissioned for the ‘Talking Transformations: Home on the Move’ project, curated by Dr. Manuela Perteghella and Dr. Ricarda Vidal, which sought to investigate what ‘home’ means in relation to debates on Brexit and EU migration. The poem took on autobiographical resonance, symbolic of her partner’s recovery, with the home representing a place of refuge and safety, whilst also becoming claustrophobic – “Home is a cobweb”. The flickering sunlight, reflected upon the floors and doors is indicative of his irregular heartbeat – “a fabulous echo of nocturnal misfires” or a “collision of elements”. Correlations are drawn between the structural dwelling and its human presences – “Home is a game of hide-and-seek” with “bodies that carry out the dodging”.
Sally Waterman is an artist based in London. She received her MA from Goldsmiths, London in 1996 and a PhD in Media & Photography at the University of Plymouth in 2011. She has exhibited and screened her work extensively since 1996, including York Art Gallery; Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Wales; Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery, London; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; CCA, Glasgow; Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York; Turner Contemporary, Margate; Bogotá Experimental Film Festival, Family Film Project International Film Festival’, Portugal and Video Art Miden, Greece. Her work is held in various public collections including the National Art Library, V&A, London, The School of Art Institute of Chicago and the Yale Center for British Art, New York. She was a visiting fellow at the University of London (2011-2012), where she organised the ‘Family Ties: Recollection and Representation’ conference, and is a founder member of the research group, Family Ties Network. She is Senior Lecturer in Fashion Photography and Photography at University for the Creative Arts, Rochester, UK.
